Hermione Can Learn
by rjacques
Summary: Hermione is brilliant in most subjects, but in matters of the heart she has a lot to learn. It's sixth year, and Ron is treating her horribly. Then Lavender claims Ron as her boyfriend. Is this all about teenage angst, or could other forces be at work? In the midst of the turmoil, Hermione receives help from an unexpected source, and learns important lessons about life and love.
1. You've Got A Friend

_This story is mainly about Hermione and Lavender, roommates since their first day at Hogwarts, but never very close as friends. Lavender is present throughout the HP canon, mostly as a background character, until she springs to prominence in Half Blood Prince, when she claims Ron as her boyfriend. I have often mused about her behavior that year, and this is the story that emerged. Of course, all of the_ _characters in the HP universe belong to J.K. Rowling._

 _Chapter titles for this story are based on popular songs from the 1960s and 70s (with one exception from the 1930s), and these songs are not mine either. Recordings can be found by searching on the codes provided after each title._

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Chapter 1:

You've Got a Friend (Carole King, 1971) v=eAR_Ff5A8Rk

And here's another fine version of this song, recorded at almost the same time: You've Got a Friend (James Taylor, 1971) v=nKaWQxlTsRM

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"Harry? Harry? Are you awake?"

Hermione spoke quietly to her dear friend, not wishing to rouse him if he was asleep. Harry didn't respond, and Hermione decided to wait a while; perhaps he would wake on his own. She had plenty to think about, and there was no hurry.

The school year had begun only a few weeks ago. It was sixth year, and Professor Dumbledore was back at Hogwarts again, after that horrible year with Umbridge as Headmistress. Although so many awful events had occurred that year, culminating in the battle at the Ministry, where Sirius had been killed, at least the Wizarding world had finally awakened to the fact that Voldemort was back. But it was anybody's guess what would happen next.

This year, Harry was captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team, and he had held tryouts early in September, and selected a team. And then, during their first practice, Harry had been injured in a three-person collision, and fallen hard, breaking his arm and also receiving a concussion. The other two players had been injured only slightly, and Madam Pomfrey had treated them and sent them back to the dormitory, but Harry would be spending a few nights in the hospital wing. The broken bone had been healed quickly enough, but the concussion was something that Madam Pomfrey wanted to monitor.

Harry was receiving visits from friends during the day, and into the evening, but Hermione usually was too busy to visit at those times. Also, as she admitted to herself, she didn't like to visit him when too many others were around, or really, when anyone else was around. When others were present, the talk always seemed to turn to quidditch, or some other trivial matter. Hermione felt that things went best between Harry and herself when the two of them could speak alone. Also, Harry had recently informed Ron and herself of the Prophecy that concerned himself and Voldemort. Professor Dumbledore had specifically suggested that Harry should share this information with the two of them, and both of these matters warranted considerable thought and discussion: the content of the Prophecy that Voldemort had so much wanted to hear, and the fact that Dumbledore wanted Hermione and Ron to know its contents.

So Hermione had borrowed Harry's Invisibility Cloak from his room, and for the past few nights she had visited him late at night, after completing her evening studies. Some nights he was awake when she arrived; others not. These late-night perambulations went against the rules, but as a sixth-year student, and a Prefect, she had begun to feel that certain rules weren't so important for her to follow, as long as she was discreet, and had a good reason to break them. And it was strangely liberating to walk alone and invisible through the halls of the castle, long after dark.

One of the many things on her mind tonight was Ron's behavior. He was incredibly bothered by the fact that Ginny was dating. This year it was Dean, Ron's own roommate, but Ginny had dated other boys as well. Hermione smiled to herself as she considered Ron's inability to accept the fact that his kid sister had no trouble finding boyfriends, while he had yet to be involved in a romantic relationship. Hermione wasn't as comfortable as Ginny with those sorts of relationships, but she had to admit that her brief fling with Viktor had been nice. They had kissed only a few times, and he was such a different sort of person than she, so it really hadn't been much of a relationship at all, but on balance it had been enjoyable.

Oddly, though, whenever Viktor happened to pop into her mind, she soon found herself thinking of Ron. It was pretty clear to her what that was about, but this was a personal matter that she couldn't discuss with Ginny, who would never understand how anyone could be interested in her brother.

Leaving that aside, Hermione recalled that there was a pressing matter that she wanted to mention to Harry tonight. It was that book he was using in Professor Slughorn's Potions Class. Harry and Ron already knew that she objected to it, and both of them believed that her objections were ridiculous, but Ron was worse about it than Harry. It was so typical of him to fail to see anything but selfish motives in people's behavior. Did Ron actually believe that she was jealous that Harry was doing better in Potions than she was, and that it bothered her that Professor Slughorn had taken a liking to Harry?

Of course Ron was wrong. Her motivations concerning that stupid book had never been about grades, or about praise from professors, or some kind of competition with Harry. Working hard in school had always been about learning, solving problems, understanding the world, and even if Ron had never noticed, she was always pleased when others did well. Why did he think that her academic interests were like sports, where if one person won, another had to lose? Stupid, pig-headed Ron! It was so childish to think that she begrudged anybody, especially Harry, whatever personal satisfaction they might derive from learning.

No, it wasn't Harry's success in Potions that bothered her. It was the book itself, with all those comments in the margins, and improvements on the instructions, and spells and jinxes that nobody else had ever heard of. It all hinted of dark magic, deceit, treachery; and Harry, her very best friend, seemed to have become entranced by it. She would love to see him at the top of every class, but not with the aid of this evil book, covered as it was with the writings of some person who fancied himself the Half-Blood Prince.

Now she leaned over and spoke quietly to him again: "Harry? Harry?" and hearing no response, she settled back to wait a bit longer.

She rose from the chair beside Harry's bed, and walked around the room a bit. The Hospital Wing was all too familiar a place, as Hermione and her friends had been injured so many times through the years. She had spent a good deal of time in this room, either as patient or visitor. Now, as she stood in the central aisle, between the two rows of beds, all of them empty tonight except for Harry's, Madam Pomfrey entered through the doorway to her office, looked around the dimly lit room, and called out, "Is someone here?"

Hermione stood silently, under the cloak, and a moment later, satisfied that nobody else was present, and deciding that the voice she had heard must have been Harry's, mumbling in his sleep, Madam Pomfrey walked over to his bed and looked down at him. She listened to his breathing, swept her wand gently above him, to check his vital signs, nodded to herself, and returned to her office. It was nearly midnight, her patient was recovering well, and sleeping soundly, and she decided that it would be safe for her to take a short nap.

Hermione watched as the light dimmed in Madam Pomfrey's office, then approached Harry's bed, sat beside it again, and listened to his steady breathing. She sat in silence beside the young man who was the source of so much confusion for her. They were friends, nothing more, right? And Harry was clearly attracted to Ginny, though it wasn't clear if Ginny shared those feelings. Ginny seemed to attract boyfriends like moths to a light, and perhaps she didn't think of Harry that way. But Harry's feelings for Ginny were obvious, at least to Hermione. And that must mean that he couldn't possibly think of Hermione as anything more than a friend.

As for herself, Hermione had to admit that she was confused at times. Harry was a treasure, no doubt about it, but there was something about Ron, something that just seemed right for her. Well, once you got beyond his bloody stubbornness, and obliviousness, and all his other irritating qualities. And what attracted her to Ron was something that he hadn't yet seen in himself. As the youngest boy in the family, he was so used to being last at everything, to being scoffed at and teased, to being left out of things or merely allowed to tag along, that he had learned to accept it, to believe that this was his natural place in the world. And those twins were the worst of the pack! Fred and George were quite funny, of course, but they were unrelenting, and they seemed to have no idea how much damage all of their rotten teasing had done through the years. Maybe, this year, with the two of them away from school, in business in London, Ron would be able to mature a bit.

Hermione knew that there was a powerful goodness inside of Ron, and a store of confidence that just needed to find its way to the surface. And she could help him with that. Yes, she had to admit it, she had feelings for him. But there was also something about Harry, something very comforting; she always felt relaxed around him. It was so nice to have a friend like Harry, with no complications along those other lines. Yes, it was clearly Ron that she felt different about.

Now she thought back to the day of the quidditch tryouts, just a couple of weeks ago. She was still surprised at herself, and still feeling a bit guilty, for what she had done that day. Cormac McClaggen, that overconfident git, with his smug sense of superiority, had been trying out for Keeper, the same position as Ron, and Hermione had cast a minor Confundus Charm at him. Just enough to cause him to let one shot go by, and that had allowed Ron to win the position.

It was so contrary to Hermione's character for her to have done that, but setting that aside for a moment, why had she done it? Was it to help Ron find some confidence? If so, she knew that it could easily have the opposite effect, if he ended up doing poorly at the position. After the way the Slytherins had ridiculed him last year, with that stupid song, a bad year at Keeper might only lead to more misery for Ron. But maybe, as she considered her motives, she had cast that charm just to keep Cormac off the team. He had said some rotten things about Ron and Ginny, and even if Ron hadn't made the team, Ginny had already qualified to play Chaser. So if Cormac had been selected as Keeper, he would have been a continual irritation to Ginny and the others. You couldn't have that kind of divisiveness on a team, could you? So her decision to cast that Confundus Charm couldn't possibly have been caused by feelings she had for Ron, could it? She laughed quietly to herself, as she realized that she wasn't really sure of her own motives.

As her mind wandered in these channels, Hermione reflected that one's thoughts were as invisible to others as her corporeal existence was now, at least if one was careful about hiding them. And she had always been the careful type. That, of course, was one of the reasons that she generally came out ahead when the Gryffindor ladies held a poker night. You can't bluff very well if your face, your emotions, are an open book.

And this reminded her of Lavender, who was so much the opposite of herself in just about every way. Poor Lavender, who could never keep a secret. She was a nice person, really, but she couldn't hide anything that was on her mind, and on poker nights she was always among the first to lose. Everyone always knew when she was bluffing. They would raise her, and she would either fold or lose the hand. And when she did hold a strong hand, everyone knew that as well, and everyone else would fold before the stakes rose very high. And pretty soon she was out of the game. Fortunately, Lavender was silly and carefree, and she didn't seem to mind.

It was also fortunate for Lavender that nothing of great value was ever wagered in those games. Little trinkets or candies that had been brought back from Hogsmeade, maybe a scarf or a quill or a piece of inexpensive jewelry when the stakes got really high, but nothing that would really be missed when someone lost the hand. The older girls, who organized the games, made sure that the stakes remained small. And generally, if the betting did go a bit higher than usual, the winner would return any items of value to their original owner a day or two later, and probably share her stash of candy with her roommates as well. The fun was in the game, not in the winnings.

Of course, Hermione had realized early on, before most of the other younger girls had caught on, that the real point of these poker nights was not to play cards, and certainly not to win small items from each other. It was about building friendships and trust, a chance to relax and laugh freely with the others, to bond with the group. The first-year students, living far from home for the first time, needed to form strong friendships, and to learn to trust the older girls. Having realized that this was what the games were about, Hermione had come to appreciate what a fine thing those older girls were doing. And Angelina had been the best of all. She'd always made sure that everyone felt welcome. She would distribute little bags of sweets for the youngest girls to wager, and quietly slip a few more candies to those who were losing early on, and she always found ways of inventing hilarious new twists in the rules of poker to keep the older girls involved. Yes, Angelina really understood the importance of camaraderie.

And now Hermione had an unexpected thought: Perhaps that's why Angelina had been such a good captain of the quidditch team. Hermione was surprised to find herself thinking of quidditch again, and wondering if she was too dismissive of its value. Maybe there was more to it than racing around and bashing each other. And now, with Harry, Ron, and Hermione in their sixth year, Angelina had graduated. And perhaps it wasn't so strange that Katie, another quidditch player, was the current organizer of the girls' poker nights, and that Ginny, also on the team, was Katie's chief assistant, responsible for teaching the younger girls how to bet, how to bluff, and how to win gracefully. Or lose gracefully. Yes, maybe there really was something to this idea of team spirit, something that transcended all of the bludging and dodging and blocking.

And just as she had been among the first of the younger girls to understand the real reason for ladies' poker nights, Hermione had also realized that being a regular winner in those games wasn't really a great badge of accomplishment. It could actually be a sign that she was missing something, that she was, perhaps, more private than she should be. Maybe successful bluffing came easier to those who didn't open up very much the rest of the time. Yes, she admitted it, she often held back. There were things that she didn't talk about with others. But there was something about being completely open about everything that wasn't in her character, and though she felt a bit conflicted about her tendency to keep things to herself, she also felt a bit defiant. The others were who _they_ were, and _she_ was who _she_ was.

Actually, she did let loose once in a while with Lavender and Parvati, and at those times she enjoyed being with them, but after a while, when the talk turned to who had a crush on whom, she just lost interest. But it was not because she didn't care about love and romance. Hermione was deeply interested in the boys and girls at school, and in the feelings that they had for each other. News of someone's triumph or heartbreak actually intrigued her, but the aspect that she found appealing was not the short-term excitement, the thrill of the chase. She would hear the names of two people who were dating, and find herself considering the long-term compatibility of the pair, but nobody else seemed to think about it that way, so she had learned to keep those thoughts to herself.

Ginny, for example, had first arrived at school as a shy, awe-struck child, tagging along with the big kids, afraid to even look at Harry. And now she was a smart, confident member of the group, a leader even, and in the meantime she had had a number of personal relationships with boys. Dean was very nice, though perhaps a bit too cavalier, too much of a showboat. But maybe neither of them was thinking much further ahead than the next weekend. And Hermione had observed that Harry was more bothered by this relationship than Ron was, but while Ron raged about it, Harry seemed to keep his feelings bottled up inside. Kind of like Hermione.

And there were the girls who chased after Harry, people like Romilda. They barely knew him, and simply were attracted to him as a celebrity. They wanted to be around him, but they didn't know the first thing about him. Well, as Hermione knew, he had some really sensitive points; you had to be gentle with him. He could be tough and prickly at times, almost as insensitive as Ron, but he'd been through so much pain, and his adoptive family had been awful to him, so you had to go slowly, give him some space. Really, it might take years for Harry to finally come out of his shell, and any girl who wanted to have a future with him would need to provide the kind of companionship that only a patient and sensitive person could offer.

At that thought, Hermione smiled as she asked herself what she was really thinking. Was she having thoughts about a future that she might have with Harry, or was she just considering what was best for him. Best to know thyself, right? Or at least to try.

On reflection, she really couldn't see herself with Harry. Not the way she could see herself with Ron. Though she couldn't quite understand why; there wasn't a logical explanation for it at all.

Now she looked down again at Harry, sleeping peacefully in front of her, and she decided not to speak again. Let him rest. It was time for her to return to the dormitory.

The Fat Lady had been confused the first time that Hermione had returned from one of her late-night visits with Harry, and spoken the password while still under the invisibility cloak. But Hermione had explained the situation to her, and there had been no further trouble. Hermione could have removed the cloak before speaking the password, but if she did she might be seen by someone lurking about, perhaps Filch, or a professor, so it seemed best to enter first, and then remove the cloak. She and the Fat Lady had agreed upon an additional special line, added to the standard password, just for Hermione's use when invisible, and the Fat Lady seemed to enjoy the novelty.

After speaking the standard password, along with her personal additional words, Hermione entered the common room, and was about to remove the invisibility cloak when she heard Parvati's voice from the stairs that led to the girls' dormitory. In a moment, Lavender and Parvati emerged from the stairway into the common room, which appeared to them to be empty, and Parvati continued to speak:

"Maybe the time has come to tell her."

"I don't know," replied Lavender. "How much could we tell her? And once she knew some of the story, I'm not sure how we could manage things."

"Well, it just seems to me that if all three of us were working together, it would be easier to find a way through it all."

"You might be right, Parvi, but there would be no going back. So we need to be certain before we open up."

"The problem, Lav, is that we're not certain now. I'm starting to feel like we're going to have to be manipulative to move things along."

"Maybe so, but let's not hurry things; slow and steady, OK? And please don't encourage her to chase him, Parvati; she's pretty strong-willed, and she might decide to do the opposite. And Ron is kind of the skittish type. If she went after him now, she might scare him off."

By now, Hermione had heard enough. As much as she was intrigued by this discussion, which seemed to concern her and Ron, she didn't feel right to be spying on her roommates. She walked quietly over to the sofa that faced towards the fireplace, set down her book bag in front of it, laid down on the sofa, and removed the invisibility cloak. A moment later she yawned loudly and sat up, so as to come into her roommates' view. She noticed that they looked at each other curiously, seeming to be wondering if she had heard anything they had just said, and then Parvati spoke: "Hermione, we thought you were out late again, and we were checking to see if you'd returned."

"No, I just closed my eyes for a bit, and I guess I feel asleep. I must have been dozing for a while here. I'm really tired, and I need to go to bed." At that, she trudged over to the stairway, rubbing her eyes, and walked up the stairs, leaving Lavender and Parvati to consider what she might have heard, and why she had lied to them about her previous whereabouts; they had checked downstairs three or four times during the past hour, to see if she had returned, and each time they had looked carefully around the room. They knew that she hadn't been on that sofa earlier. Clearly, she had been out, and had returned only recently, but there was little they could say now.


	2. Waiting in Vain

Waiting in Vain (Bob Marley and the Wailers, 1977) v=WqodaRxEs60

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At breakfast the next morning, Hermione and Ginny sat across the table from Lavender and Parvati. Ginny seemed rather quiet, her thoughts apparently elsewhere, as Lavender and Parvati gently expressed their concerns to Hermione about her late night wanderings. They didn't mention the fact that she had been out the previous night, and had pretended otherwise, as it seemed better to focus on the general pattern. They pointed out that although the castle was a safe place during daylight hours, there were real dangers after dark, and that Hermione should understand this as well as anyone. She didn't have much of an answer to these points, and she agreed to be more cautious in the future.

Parvati added, "We're not trying to nag you, Hermione; we just want you to be safe."

Hermione nodded her acknowledgement as she spooned some raspberries into her yogurt, and the conversation soon moved on to other subjects. Before long, Lavender and Parvati were talking about nail polish. Though Hermione had little interest in this subject, she made a conscious effort not to be dismissive. She did like and respect her two roommates, though they could be rather silly at times. The real problem, she thought, was that they didn't understand the dangers in the world, which were a constant concern for Hermione. They knew that the hallways of Hogwarts could be dangerous at night, but they didn't seem to understand how dangerous the whole world had become.

"Hermione," said Lavender, "you have no polish on at all today! And you have such beautiful hands! I have some new bottles of nail polish from that cute little shop in Hogsmeade. Look at this one," she said, holding out her hands for Hermione to examine. "It has little pink bunnies that hop from one finger to another! Aren't they sweet? And I also have one with little blue unicorns, and another with green turtles! Would you like to try one of them?"

Hermione considered Lavender's offer for a moment, but as usual, a series of questions jumped into her mind. What magical principles were involved in enchanted nail polish that produces tiny moving images of animals? And suppose you were running along, or just waving your hand; could the animals still jump from nail to nail, or did they have to wait until you slowed down? Did they ever get lost? And what would happen if you painted your fingernails with a variety of colors? Would pink bunnies, green turtles, and blue unicorns cavort together from finger to finger, or would they all stay with others of their own kind?

Suddenly, Hermione realized that she hadn't replied to Lavender's offer, and she said, "You know, Lavender, I would like to try some of that nail polish, but not this evening. I have a lot of work to do. Maybe tomorrow, or the next night?" She knew that Harry probably would be released from the infirmary tomorrow morning, and she wanted to visit him again tonight, to speak privately with him.

On completing her breakfast, Hermione wished the other three a good day, stood up, and walked off. As she headed down the aisle between the long tables, she found herself questioning her own instincts and prejudices, just as she had the evening before. Maybe a person could be silly about some things, and serious about others. Maybe it was even healthy to be that way. And could there be more to Lavender than Hermione had previously suspected? Perhaps a little time spent with her roommates would help her to understand and appreciate them better, even if it did involve nail painting.

Meanwhile, Ginny had heard the discussion of nail polish, and she had been surprised at Hermione's assent to having her nails painted with little jumping animals. Did Hermione really want those stupid rabbits jumping around on her fingers? Perhaps she's just playing for time, Ginny thought, and tomorrow she'll find another excuse to put it all off, or maybe she'll just ask for a plain color that isn't so ridiculous.

As Ginny emerged from these musings, she rolled her eyes, shook her head, and then stood and walked off toward the front hall, with no more than a simple "Bye" to Lavender and Parvati. Lavender had not failed to observe this dismissive behavior, and now she looked down at the plate in front of her. Parvati also had seen everything, and she reached over, squeezed Lavender's hand, and in a low tone said, "Don't feel bad, Lav. Sometimes Ginny just isn't very thoughtful. There's no reason for her to be so overt about it, but I'm sure she'll outgrow it some day." Lavender silently nodded her thanks, and the two of them stood and departed.

As they walked together out of the Great Hall, Lavender silently reflected on how fortunate she was to have such good friends as Parvati and Padma. Nobody at school, other than those two, knew her secret, which she held deeply inside, though she allowed just about everything else about herself be seen by all. It was a delicate balancing act, and she wondered if she could have made it through the last few years without her two close friends beside her.

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As evening approached, Hermione prepared for her visit to Harry in the Hospital Wing. If asked about it later, she would stick with her usual alibi, which in fact was largely true: she would study in the library until closing time, then move to another room to continue her work. The implicit lie, if she were asked to explain her whereabouts, would be in the fact that her studying had actually ended an hour or two before she returned to the Gryffindor quarters, and that she had spent that time visiting Harry.

Later that evening, when the time came, she removed Harry's invisibility cloak from her book bag, draped it over herself, and walked off to the Hospital Wing. As she entered, she saw Harry lying on his bed in the dimly lit room, and she approached and sat on the chair at his side.

"Harry, are you awake?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, Hermione," he replied. "Is everything OK?"

"Yes, everything is fine. I just wanted to stop by and talk to you. I was here last night too, but you were sleeping pretty soundly."

"Well, what's on the agenda? I hope it's not my Potions book."

"So you're not going to listen to my warnings about that Half-Blood Prince guy, then?"

"No, sorry, I just think it's the work of a former student who was good at Potions, and made up a nickname for himself. Lots of guys have little personal nicknames for themselves, especially the ones who like sports. You know, the sorts of names they'd like the announcers to use for them during a big quidditch match."

"Well, maybe so." She reached out and placed her hand on the back of one of his, which was resting on his blanket. "But Harry, please remember that it might be someone who went bad during our parents' generation, someone who followed Voldemort. Promise me that you'll be careful, that you won't let that person draw you into something you'll regret. That Potions book reminds me of Tom Riddle's diary."

Harry turned his hand over, so that he was holding Hermione's, and he spoke soberly: "Hermione, I've considered that too. I promise I won't do something stupid. Even though I seem to do ten stupid things every day."

"OK, Harry; thank you for saying that. Now, can I ask you a personal question?"

"Yes, of course."

"Harry, do you like Ginny? I mean, you know, do you like her more than you like other girls?"

Lying there on his back, holding Hermione's hand, Harry wondered what was behind this question. Did Hermione have feelings for him? Would it hurt her if he confessed his attraction to Ginny, and by implication, confirmed that he did not feel that way about Hermione? Perhaps it would. But she deserved an honest answer, and he said, "Yes, I do. And I hope that one day she'll notice me."

Harry was relieved at Hermione's reply: "I hope so too, because she'll never find someone else as good as you."

"Thanks. Now, can I ask you why we're talking about this?"

"Well, I have a secret too."

"That you like Ron?" Harry had been aware of Hermione's interest in Ron for quite a while, but he also had wondered if Hermione might be confused, if she might have feelings for him as well. This conversation seemed to be settling that question, much to his relief.

"Oh, I guess I don't have a secret," she said, with an embarrassed laugh.

"Sorry, Hermione, but I've seen it for a while. And to quote a very good friend of mine, 'I hope he notices you some day, because he'll never find someone else as good as you.'"

"Thank you, Harry, you're very sweet." Hermione leaned over and kissed Harry on his forehead. "It's nice to know that someone understands me, even just a bit." This reminded her of something else that was on her mind, and she continued, "Can I ask you about something else?"

"Sure."

"What do you think of Lavender and Parvati?"

"In what way? They're good people. They're smart, they're nice, they're in the D.A. ..."

"Well, I guess I'm asking if you think there's something a little mysterious about them."

"Mysterious? How?"

"Like they're not exactly who they seem to be. That maybe they have a secret of some sort."

"Mmm, interesting question. Actually, I do think there's something about them that doesn't quite add up."

"What, exactly?"

"Hermione, I know you think they're kind of silly, and I don't want to hurt your feelings."

"It's OK; don't worry about my feelings, just tell me what you think of them."

At this point, Madam Pomfrey entered the room, as she had the previous night. She had overheard the talking, and she asked, "Is there someone here?"

"Just me," said Harry, as Hermione, still under the cloak, stood and quietly backed away from the bed.

Madam Pomfrey approached, saying, "I thought I heard voices." She sat on the chair that Hermione had just vacated, and said, "This chair feels warm; are you sure that nobody is here?" As she said this, she turned and looked around the dimly lighted room.

Harry said, "Oh, that's just me. I was sliding my hand around on the top of the chair, working on some quidditch maneuvers. I do that sometimes, while I'm lying here, and I guess I was talking to myself while I did it. Sorry."

"Well, OK," said Madam Pomfrey, not seeming to be quite convinced. "Now Harry, I think you've healed, and I'm going to release you in the morning. Try not to bump your head again, alright? And now, please try to get some sleep."

"OK, thanks."

Madam Pomfrey returned to her office, and decided to nap there for a while, so she'd be nearby if Harry should need her.

Hermione returned to the bedside, took her seat again, and spoke, more quietly than before: "That was quick thinking, Harry. Now why don't you tell me what you were going to say about my roommates, and I'll head back to the dorm; it really is late."

"OK, here it is: I think that some of their frivolousness is an act. Not all of it; I think that they really do like all that cutesy stuff. It's harmless, you know. But I also think that they're more serious than most people realize, and that they play up that silliness a bit, to keep people from noticing."

"From noticing what? And why would they want to hide something?"

"Well, I'm not sure what they're hiding, but they've said some odd things through the years. First, as you know, they've been absolutely committed to Dumbledore's Army, as much as anyone has, and more than most. I think they really see the danger that's out there. And as far as what they might be hiding, I sometimes wonder if the magical world has a few obscure corners here and there that Muggle-raised kids like you and I have never heard of. I feel like the two of them have an interest in something, or a connection to something, that they keep secret."

"So you're saying that they're more serious than they let on to be, and that they're involved in some aspect of magic that we may not know about? Let's say you're right, Harry. Now, how do you know this?"

"Little things, just occasionally, but going back almost to the time when we first started school. Significant looks. Occasional remarks that seem to signify a greater knowledge of the world than we might think they have. Parvati once told me, last year, out of the blue, that I should trust Professor Snape more than I do, that he's definitely on the right side. Now, everyone knows that I don't get along with him, and that the feeling is mutual, but she specifically referred to trust, as though she knew something about his loyalties, and that my doubts about him were unwarranted."

"But how could she know about his loyalties?"

"That's my point, Hermione. She didn't actually say that she knew anything, but her comment suggested that she might."

"Maybe she just used the wrong word, and she meant that you should 'trust' that he's doing his best for all of us at the school, even those who don't like him much."

"Perhaps, but that's not the only thing she's ever said like that. Way back in first year, Parvati told me that she thought that Professor Quirrell had a dark secret, and that I should be very careful of him. And Lavender told me the same thing. And he did have a secret, didn't he, right up there in his turban! And in retrospect, it's like the two of them have been trying to steer me a bit, to warn me about certain dangers. Lavender even warned me about Professor Lockhart! She told me that she didn't think he was nearly as clever as he pretended to be, and that if anyone ever discovered the truth about him, he'd do something to keep them from telling! And that's exactly what happened when Ron and I were down in the Chamber of Secrets with him! If Ron's wand hadn't been broken ..."

"Well, everything about him was a lie."

"Yes, Hermione, we know that now, but as I recall, a lot of the girls were kind of completely smitten by him, including - "

"Me. Yes, of course, I remember."

"Yes, you, but also Lavender. Doesn't it seem odd that she could be charmed by him, and at the same time, that she would tell me he was a fraud, and in fact a dangerous fraud?"

"Yes, that is very odd."

"And they also warned me about Mad Eye Moody, the year of the Tournament. Lavender told me that he wasn't who he seemed to be. And she really had that right, didn't she? I asked her what she meant by 'not who he seemed to be,' and she said that she didn't know, she just felt that he was masquerading. And then she told me that I should avoid visiting graveyards. I didn't know what to think of that, and I didn't take it very seriously. But she seemed to know something ... "

"So what does it mean?"

"About them? I can't figure it out. They just seem to know things, or half know them, and then they cover it all up with their silliness. But why are you asking me about them?"

"Well, yesterday evening I overheard them talking about trying to make something happen, and it just got me wondering."

"Trying to make what happen?"

"Something about Ron and me, I think. But it wasn't clear. I guess we should keep our eyes open, and see what happens."

"That sounds good, Hermione. In the meantime, it's pretty late, and I think you should get back to your room. But I'm glad you visited."

"I am too, Harry. I'm so glad that I have you to talk to." She leaned forward and kissed him again, this time on the cheek, then she stood and departed.

As she entered the Gryffindor common room, Hermione saw Ron and Ginny dozing on the sofa by the fire, apparently awaiting her return. And on two easy chairs nearby she saw Lavender and Parvati, also asleep. It appeared that her absence had been noticed. She hurried upstairs to her room, set down her book bag, removed the invisibility cloak, and returned to the common room to wake everyone.

"Hey guys, are you all waiting up for me?" she asked.

Ron, rubbing his eyes, asked, "Where have you been?"

"I was working late in the library, and when they closed I went to one of the classrooms to study. And I kind of lost track of time. Sorry, but I didn't think that anyone would notice."

Ginny was more direct: "Hermione, you should know that people worry when someone isn't back on time. This is like the third time this week that you've come in late. And where are your books?"

"Oh, I've already been up to my room and dropped them off."

Ginny looked at her skeptically, but said nothing more. Ron merely shrugged.

Meanwhile, Lavender and Parvati, hearing the others' voices, had roused themselves. Lavender looked up, and said, "Oh, Hermione, I'm so glad you're back. We were worried about you."

Parvati smiled wearily, but said nothing, and all of them returned to their rooms.


	3. Respect

Respect (Aretha Franklin, 1967) v=6FOUqQt3Kg0

Aretha's recording is the best-known version of this song, but there is also the original, by Otis Redding, who wrote it (1965) v=KvC9V_lBnDQ

0-0-0

The following evening, with Harry now safely returned to the Gryffindor living quarters, Hermione sat on her bed, talking with Lavender. Parvati was in the library, completing an assignment.

Hermione was becoming more comfortable with Lavender, more accepting of her quirks. She was even beginning to believe that it wasn't such a bad thing to be a bit childish and off-beat at times. Perhaps it helps a person to get by, particularly in stressful times like these. That kind of behavior also seemed to help Luna, and she was an excellent student, member of the D.A., and a veteran of last year's battle in the Department of Mysteries. Clearly, Luna had an unimpeachable commitment to the cause, so where was the harm in a bit of nuttiness? In considering her own situation, Hermione now wondered if she might be comfortable with a somewhat broader idea of the meaning of maturity. Perhaps it was healthy to let go sometimes, to enjoy a bit of nonsense.

"OK," said Hermione, "let's have a look at those colors. I've decided that I don't care who teases me for having little animals jumping around on my finger nails."

"I'm glad to hear that," Lavender answered. "Has something happened to you?"

"Yes, I think so, though I'm not quite sure what it is. I just feel, well, lighter and easier about certain things. There's really no need to be super-serious about everything all the time, is there?"

"No reason at all. You know, Hermione, I always knew there was more to you than met the eye."

Hermione smiled self-consciously, and said, "Well, don't expect me to change completely. I've always been a bit of a straight arrow. And I'm probably also a prude, from your perspective."

As soon as she finished speaking these words, Hermione realized what she had said. She blushed with embarrassment, put her hand to her mouth, and immediately said, "I'm so sorry, Lavender; I've been so judgmental all my life, and that was an awful thing to say. It just popped out, but that's no excuse."

Lavender looked closely at Hermione, and replied: "It would hurt to hear you say that, even if it were true, Hermione, if I were as 'easy' with the boys as you're suggesting, but it hurts even more, since there isn't a bit of truth to it. But I do forgive you, because you're still learning."

The last two words, 'still learning,' jangled in Hermione's head. Was the world upside down? Was Lavender the mature person here? Hermione stumbled for words, and finally asked, "What are you saying, Lavender?"

Very calmly, Lavender said, "First of all, I know for a fact that you have no direct knowledge of my fooling around in the manner that you suggested. I know that you've never seen me engage in anything beyond a few friendly hugs and kisses from time to time. And I know this because there never has been more. Some of the boys around here like to invent stories, and they think that they're enhancing their manly images by pretending to be experienced in that way. And if others are gullible enough to believe them, a lie can become established as common knowledge. I should also point out that any boy who feels the need to brag about such things probably has a few issues of his own, in the self-esteem department. I always thought that discretion was a virtue, in ladies and in gentlemen, but some of the boys around here don't seem to understand that.

"And I won't insult you by offering to make a magical pledge, involving something like my hair falling out if I'm lying. I'll just say, straight out, that any story you may have heard about me going any further than a kiss or two, with anyone on this lovely green Earth, is a lie. In fact, a couple of the boys we know are under severe warning from me to keep their hands to themselves. I'll be the one who decides when and with whom I engage in that sort of behavior."

"Lavender, of course I believe you, and I'm so sorry that I allowed myself to believe those awful stories."

"Well, Hermione, that's a good first step; and as I said, I do forgive you."

At this moment there was a knock at the door, and Lavender called, "Come in!"

Ginny looked in, and asked, "Hermione, are you free?"

"Not this second, Gin," said Hermione. "We're in the middle of something; I'll find you later, OK?"

"Sure," said Ginny, somewhat doubtfully. "I'm taking a break down in the common room for a while, then I'll be back in my room, studying." She closed the door behind her as she left.

Hermione looked intently at Lavender, and asked, "Lav, why has it taken me so long to get to know you? Have you been hiding something from me, or am I just daft?"

Lavender laughed, and said, "I'm tempted to say that it's a bit of each, but we both know that you're not daft. Let's just say that I've been hiding something, and that you've been, oh, distracted for the past few years. How does that sound?"

"Distracted by what?" asked Hermione, a bit defensively.

"By what? By the mission you're on, of course. You and Ron and Harry are doing important things. You've done so much already, and I'm pretty sure that your biggest challenges are still to come. And for the sake of the rest of us, I'm glad that you've been distracted; it can't be easy fighting a war that everyone else wants to ignore."

"Lavender, you sound like you know things that nobody else does. What is this?"

Now there was another knock at the door, and Parvati entered. "How's it going?" she asked, clearly directing her question to Lavender.

"It's coming along," replied Lavender, "but not too quickly. When you explaining something to Hermione, you have to expect a few questions along the way."

Parvati and Lavender were both smiling as Hermione gazed in confusion from one to the other, and finally spoke: "OK, I'm a little disoriented here; I hope you two realize that."

Parvati sat beside Hermione on the bed, then leaned over and hugged her, and said, "This can't come in one big dose, Hermione, and we don't expect you to accept everything we tell you right away. But for now, I think it's important for you to know that we're part of this too. And not just as members of the D.A. We're also involved in ways that aren't so obvious. We'll never be able to do as much as you, but we're trying to help in any way we can. What you need to hear from us tonight is that we are absolutely committed to the defeat of Voldemort and his allies. But we can't let everyone know what we're doing, and that includes Ron and Harry and Ginny."

"But what _are_ you doing? I don't see it."

Parvati continued: "To be truthful, Hermione, I'm not doing much at all. Lavender is the key, and I try to help her as well as I can. So does Padma. Is it enough for you to know, for this evening, that the three of us are deadly serious, and that some of our more, shall we say, frivolous qualities, are there for cover?"

"Why do you need cover?"

"Well," said Lavender, "if people aren't on their guard around me, if they think I'm just a ditzy girl whose only interests are jewelry and clothing and boys, I can hear more of what's said around here. You know that some of the kinds in school have parents who are Death Eaters. They hear things at home, and they talk here. Watch where I sit in class, and in the library, and you'll see that I'm generally in a position to hear things that you might not. And the childish behavior serves another function as well; frankly, I need an outlet. A few laughs here and there, a bit of silliness, can help a lot."

"But doesn't it bother you to know what people think of you? I mean, I said something terrible to you a little while ago, and you must realize that other people are thinking and saying those things."

Lavender looked directly at Hermione, and said, "Hermione, it's nice of you to ask, and I'll give you an honest answer. If I were more sure of myself, I would reply with some kind of a grand statement like, 'No, I believe firmly in what I'm doing, so I'm not bothered by what others might think of me, including the general opinion that I'm an airhead.' But if you want the truth, I'm just sixteen, like you, I'm in a school with a bunch of kids my age, I want a bit of respect, and yes, it hurts like hell to know what people think of me."

A tear ran down Lavender's cheek as she reached over, took one of Parvati's hands in hers, and continued, "But I'm doing something I believe in, and I have friends who help me to bear the weight."

"And from now on you have me too," replied Hermione. "And maybe you could temper the act - the 'cover', as you call it - just a bit? I don't know what's worse, for you to be thought of as ridiculous or as ..."

Hermione didn't complete the sentence, but the thought was hanging in the air.

"Yes, what is the proper word for that other thing I'm thought to be?" asked Lavender, now smiling. "Shall we keep things clean, and just say, 'an easy target for certain young gentlemen of our acquaintance?'"

All three of them laughed, and Lavender continued, "I don't really know which is most painful, being thought of as a fool or as a, well, you know what. But look, why don't you go down and see Ginny, and we'll continue this discussion another time?"

"Sure," said Hermione, "but when we do continue this, I'm going to want to know why it's necessary for you to allow people to think that you're sleeping with some of the most nauseating boys in this school. As of this moment, I'm prepared to jinx anyone who says something like that about you!"

"Well," said Lavender, "maybe being thought of as foolish is enough of a cover. I never really planned on that other part, but somehow it just happened."

Hermione leaned over and hugged Lavender, then stood and walked to the door. Before opening it, she turned and said, "Look, I still don't know what's really going on with you two. It sounds like you're spies for the good side, or something like that, but I have to thank you for one thing: I've grown up a bit tonight, and I owe it to you."

"All in a day's work," said Parvati, with a smile. "And look, Hermione, I think it's great if you defend Lav's honor, but everything else has to be a secret, OK?"

"Well, keeping in mind that I don't really know what the secret is, I'll say 'yes' to that."

Hermione left the room and walked downstairs to the common room. She saw Ginny sitting with Ron on a sofa, and she settled into a nearby chair.

"What's up with you and Lavender?" asked Ginny. "And why aren't you wearing that stupid nail polish? Isn't that going to be your new look?"

Thinking before reacting, and consciously restraining herself, Hermione held her tongue, and rather than answer in kind she merely said, "Oh, we just had some things to discuss. But I'll probably try the nail polish another day. I just can't decide between little green turtles that crawl around, and blue unicorns that frolic and leap."

Ginny was about to issue a retort, but Ron, sensing trouble, jabbed her with an elbow. Ginny settled back down in a huff, but said nothing further. The three of them sat quietly for a few minutes, and then Ron headed off to his room.

Hermione turned to Ginny, and said, "Ginny, please don't be angry. Lavender is going through some personal issues, and I'm trying to help. She's a good person, you know ..."

Ginny looked up, and said "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things. I guess I've been grumpy lately. I was thinking about Bill and Fleur the other day, and then I had an argument with Dean. But none of it has anything to do with you and Lavender ... "

"What was the argument about?"

"Nothing important; I think I was just looking for a fight ..."

"Oh, so you started it?"

Ginny answered sheepishly, "Yeah, I guess I did."

"Well he's sitting right over there," said Hermione, with a slight nod towards the other side of the room. "and he's been glancing this way from time to time."

Ginny nodded, and said, "Maybe I should go talk with him. Thanks, Hermione," and she rose and walked over to where Dean was sitting, while Hermione returned to her room.

0-0-0

The next day, after lunch, Hermione was walking down a hallway with Ron and Ginny, as five boys walked together, a short distance ahead of them. One of them, Cormac McLaggen, was bragging loudly about his Quidditch skills, and explaining to the others that he would have been Keeper for Gryffindor if only he hadn't missed one save during tryouts. He added that the team was bound to be horrible this year, with Ron Weasley as Keeper. Ginny and Hermione looked at Ron, who grimaced but kept quiet. Something inside told him that if he made a scene now, and eventually did fail at Keeper, it would hurt that much more.

Then Cormac abruptly changed the subject to girls, and said that it was quite pleasant to be in a school with so many who were "eager to please." His friends chuckled knowingly, and Hermione was already tensing up in anger when he added, "especially the lovely and talented Lavender Brown. I didn't even have to ask her; she went after me!"

Now Hermione erupted, and shouted, "That's a damned lie, you daft dimbo!"

The boys stopped walking, turned around, and looked at Hermione, who stood, wand in hand, glaring at Cormac, as Ginny and Ron stood defiantly beside her.

Cormac smiled, and in a voice full of condescension he said, "I don't want to fight you, Hermione; my parents taught me that it isn't proper to fight with girls. But look, Lavender is what she is, and you know it!"

"How about if I slip a few drops of of Veritaserum in your pumpkin juice some day, Cormac, and ask you what has really transpired between you and Lavender?"

Cormac continued to smile as he said, "'Transpired?' Wow, that's a big word, isn't it? You must be one of the smart students. But if you did hit me with Veritaserum, I'd tell you exactly the same thing about Lavender as all the other guys; now don't make me describe something that will embarrass you."

"Cormac, you may be used to lying about everything, and having people believe you, but I've got news for you. I don't need Veritaserum; I'm about to hit you with a hex that will triple the size of your tongue if what you just said about Lavender is a lie. Are you ready?" she asked, as she raised her wand slightly.

At this, Cormac held up his hands and said, "No, don't!"

"OK, it's better if you say it voluntarily. Now tell all of us here what has really gone on between you and Lavender!"

Cormac stood quietly for a moment, and a couple of the other boys smiled, believing they were about to hear a lurid recounting of Cormac's exploits, but the others could see what was coming, and they resigned themselves to hearing that the stories they'd been told were, in fact, lies.

Once again, Hermione raised her wand a bit, as though preparing to deliver a hex, and Cormac spoke, "Nothing ever happened. I grabbed her by the bottom one time, and she turned around and shoved me halfway across the room. And she said that I would regret the day I ever tried anything like that again."

"Thank you, Cormac." said Hermione. "Doesn't it feel good to tell the truth about what transpired? And by the way, I think you'll feel even better if you apologize to Lavender. And one more thing: being remembered years from now for committing sexual assault during your school years may not exactly enhance your career options. It's the kind of story that can come out at the most awkward times. You might want to think about that."

Cormac gulped once, turned, and walked off in silence, with his friends behind him.

Ron gaped at Hermione with a mixture of admiration and disbelief, and said, "Hermione, you kick butt!" Then, realizing he was late for class, he added, "Oh no, I've got to go; we'll talk about this later!" And off he ran.

Now Ginny turned to Hermione, and said, "You were incredible! But how did you know he was lying?"

"Because all of those stories about Lavender are lies. I told you she was having some personal issues. Lavender has never done anything like that with anyone, full stop. But those idiot boys, especially the ones like Cormac, with that sense of superiority and entitlement, think that the others will believe anything they say about her. So they just make it all up, and their stupid friends all believe it."

Ginny, now looking uncomfortable, quietly said, "I believed it too."

"So did I, Gin," said Hermione. "And I'm beginning to understand how rumors work. Somebody tells a story, it spreads around, and pretty soon everyone has heard it more than once, so they think it's been verified. This is what we were talking about last night when you stopped by our room. Look, Lavender's personality is, you know, all bubbly and silly, in a way that you and I don't really get, but underneath it she's a really kind and thoughtful person. There's a lot more to her than I used to realize, and I see now that I've been unfair to her. It's humbling. And if your only problem with her is that she can be kind of ditzy, maybe you should consider going a little easier on her."

"Yes, I can do that," said Ginny. Then, with a little smile, she added, "So was that a real hex you threatened him with, that his tongue would swell up if he'd been lying?"

"No, a hex like that would be in violation of Waffling's eighth law: no charm or spell of any kind can be actualized _ex post facto_ , on the basis of a prior contingency."

"Meaning what?"

"Basically, you can't create a hex that's contingent on the fact that a person had lied to you earlier."

"Oh, well, I'm sorry to hear that," said Ginny. "Because that would be quite useful in a number of situations I can imagine. And by the way, did you just call Cormac a 'daft dimbo?'"

Hermione smiled and said, "Yes, I suppose I did!"

"So could you please define that term?"

Hermione laughed, and said, "Sorry, I can't. It just popped out that way!"

Ginny laughed too, and they walked off together to study period.


	4. Bad Moon Rising

Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival, 1969) v=5BmEGm-mraE

0-0-0-0-0

The following Saturday was the first cold, clear day of Autumn, with a delicious combination of brilliant sunlight and a bracing chill in the air. It was a perfect day for a long walk. After breakfast, Harry, Ron, and Ginny headed off to the quidditch pitch for their regular team practice, and Hermione, knowing they would be away for two hours or more, had arranged to take a ramble down to the lake with Lavender, Parvati, and Padma. Whatever their secret was, if it really was something beyond a minor conspiracy to spy on certain persons they didn't trust, Hermione was about to become the fourth person to be included.

But as she considered her recent conversations with Harry, and with Lavender and Parvati, it seemed likely that she would hear of something more than a bit of eavesdropping. The warnings from Lavender and Parvati that Harry had reported from earlier years, concerning Professors Lockhart and Quirrell, and especially the assertion that Mad Eye Moody was an imposter, could not be explained very easily by simply watching and listening. And if there was something more to their story, Hermione also wondered why the others had chosen this particular moment to open up to her. Why not months, or even years ago? After all, there could be no question about her loyalties.

As the four young witches ambled down to the lake, Parvati and Padma took the lead, with Lavender and Hermione following several steps behind. After a few comments about what a beautiful a day it was, Lavender said, "Hermione, something very strange happened to me yesterday."

"What was that?" asked Hermione.

"Cormac McLaggen apologized to me."

Hermione studiously avoided looking at Lavender, and she feigned ignorance as she asked, "Oh really? And what that was about?"

Lavender laughed, and said, "Oh, Hermione, it's so funny to watch you pretend you don't know. You're a great bluffer in poker, but a very poor liar when it comes to personal matters. In fact, it's one of your most endearing qualities. Of course you know what he apologized for. He told me the whole story, including the part where you advised him to apologize, after warning him about what you might do to his tongue."

"Sorry, Lav; I just didn't want to be seen as responsible. If he did the right thing, he should get the credit."

"And he does; but you deserve credit too, for giving him a gentle nudge in the right direction."

"Well, I wasn't exactly gentle, but, thank you for saying that. So what did he say?"

"Well, first of all, he was very polite. He asked if he could speak with me for a minute, and I agreed. And then he said that with help from you he had come to realize what a horrible thing he'd done to me, first for grabbing me that time, and afterward, for spreading lies about me. And he said that he was setting the record straight with everyone. So I thanked him for that. But then he said more."

"Yes?" asked Hermione.

"He told me that he now sees that he has allowed himself to become a proud, callous person. As he described it, he was taught good manners by his parents, but he never embraced the underlying reasons for proper behavior. He said that he's become used to looking down on people, and treating them poorly, and that you had opened his eyes to the pain that his behavior has caused. He said that he's been thinking about a lot of other things he's done, and that he's going to try to be a better person."

"And do you believe that he meant it?"

"Time will tell, I suppose. Sometimes, when people are confronted with their misbehavior, they feel guilty for a while, but later settle back into their old ways. I felt that he meant it when he said it, and regardless of what he might do down the road, I want to thank you for acting on my behalf."

"Well, I was walking behind him and some of his friends when he started to talk about you, and I just got so angry with him for that snotty, entitled attitude of his. The things he was saying about you were just horrible!" Hermione paused for a moment, and then spoke in a lower tone: "But Lav, one of the reasons I don't want you to thank me too much is that I'm still so sorry that I ever believed any of that stuff about you. What an idiot I was!"

"Oh, that reminds me," said Lavender, with a laugh, "did you really call him a 'daft dimbo?'"

Now both of them were laughing, and Hermione replied, "Yes, I believe I did! I don't even know where it came from; it just popped out that way."

"Well, it's a nice label, and I'm looking forward to using it myself, if the opportunity arises. With your permission, of course."

"Permission granted!" The two laughed again, and then moved on to other subjects.

Soon they arrived at the shore, and found an area in which they could sit on some boulders beside the water, and chat privately. Before they started, Parvati used the Homenum Revelio charm to see if anyone else was nearby, and discovered a first-year Slytherin girl hiding behind a nearby bush.

"What are you doing here?" asked Parvati.

"I think I'm lost," replied the girl.

"Don't be afraid; it's easy to find your way back from here. Just follow this trail right up the hill, and you'll see the castle in front of you," said Parvati. "And be sure to stay on the trail, so you won't get lost. Now get along!"

Without another word, the girl turned and ran up the trail.

"That was peculiar," said Hermione. "She seemed too little to be spying on us, unless someone put her up to it."

Parvati replied, "It wasn't a little girl, Hermione. It was one of Draco Malfoy's friends, disguised with Polyjuice Potion. Maybe Draco himself."

"Do any of them actually know how to make Polyjuice?" Hermione asked.

"Draco does, or at least he claims to." said Padma. "Or he may have nicked some from Professor Slughorn. Either way, he has a batch of it, and he and his friends have been doing a considerable amount of spying this year, generally in the form of first-year Slytherins, sometimes two or three of them together."

"And how do you know this?"

In response to this question, the other three girls all tapped their ears with their index fingers, and Parvati said, "We listen. Remember, that's where the silly behavior fits in; people don't think we're paying attention."

"And I guess you haven't told Draco and his friends that you're on to them, because they'll just switch to new identities?" asked Hermione.

"That's right," said Padma. "We just pretend that we haven't a clue, and they keep coming back in the same disguises. But of course, they could switch to other identities at any time, so we try to be vigilant."

After Padma had spoken, Lavender turned to Hermione and said, "Well now, the time has come to tell you what all the secrecy is about. But before we get to that, I have to ask that you not react immediately, because I know you're going to be skeptical. Please bear with us, and we'll talk it through, OK?"

Hermione nodded her assent, and Lavender continued, "The explanation for our mysterious behavior, and our ability to know certain things, is that I'm a Seer."

Hermione was relieved that Lavender had warned her not to react immediately, because her first instinct was to reject the statement out of hand. Lavender did seem to be serious, but she might be mistaken, and Parvati and Padma might be similarly misled in believing her. But Hermione also recalled that more than a few of her long-held beliefs had been challenged in the past few weeks, and she smiled as she recalled a line from Shakespeare, which she altered slightly:

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Hermione,  
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

She liked the way that her name fit this line with the same rhythm as that of Hamlet's friend, Horatio. And rather than challenge Lavender, she replied, tentatively: "So you're a Seer. Do you mean like Professor Trelawney?"

"Actually, no, not like Professor Trelawney. I'm in a different category."

"Are you saying that you're the real thing, and she's a fraud?"

"No, that's not it. She's not a fraud, though I understand why you might think that. Please don't be too quick to judge, Hermione. Sybill Trelawney is what we call an 'accidental'. That's someone who is like - what do Muggles call those metal sticks and wires that look around for radio signals?"

"An antenna? Actually, they don't look for signals, they just receive them passively."

"Well then, the comparison is even more apt. Yes, she's like an antenna. 'Accidentals' are witches and wizards who have the ability to receive prophecies, which basically flow into their minds at random moments. They don't know how they do it, and after an event they generally have no recollection of what they did."

"I've become friendly with Professor Trelawney, and I've gotten to know her pretty well. She's really a rather sad and befuddled person. She knows that she has some kind of ability, but she also realizes that she has no control over it. An ancestor of hers, Cassandra Trelawney, actually was a great Seer, but Sybill doesn't have the gift. Even so, we should be grateful that Professor Dumbledore, who understands her limitations, has chosen to protect her, since her life would be forfeit if she ever left Hogwarts."

"Because ... ?"

"Because it has been her fate to have prophesied about Voldemort, and he knows this, and if he ever got his hands on her he would surely kill her."

"And you know this how?"

"I'm only guessing at what he would do, but as I told you, I've befriended her. Like most accidentals, she goes into a trance when she receives a prophecy. I've never seen her do this, but afterwards she has vague memories of it. She trusts me, as someone who believes in her, and who believes in Prophecy in general, and she tells me things, so I know that she made a prophecy about Voldemort, many years ago, but I don't know what it was, and she doesn't either. But she does know a few things about Divination, and I try to learn what I can from her. Her gift is limited, but it's real. And I think that by opening up to me a bit, finding a sympathetic person, she's been able to get a better grip on, you know, her other problem."

Hermione nodded, and in a low tone she asked, "The drinking?"

Lavender nodded, and said, "She's often very depressed. And that horrible beast, Umbridge, made it so much worse last year, with her interrogations, and her badgering, and her attempt to remove Sybill from Hogwarts."

"So if she's an 'accidental,' as you call it," asked Hermione, "then what are you? And why haven't I heard of these sorts of things before?"

"Well, for a lot of people in the magical world, the only kind of Seers they know of are the accidentals." Then, with a smile, Lavender continued: "And the accidentals don't really help our reputation very much, do they? Since they don't seem to know what they're doing, even when they're doing it, people haven't much respect for them. So a lot of folks think of all Divination as uncontrollable, unlearnable, and bordering on disreputable. Also, compared to the accidentals, those of us who have the other kind of Seeing ability are pretty rare. Maybe that's why Professor Dumbledore doesn't bother to stress it in the curriculum. After all, why teach a subject that only a few people in the school will be able to learn?"

"And how is this other type of Seeing different? And how did you come to realize that you had that ability?"

"Hermione, do you remember, in our first year, how we used to talk about our occasional accidental expressions of magic, before we were eleven, how things just happened unexpectedly from time to time? And how scary it was for you, since you had no idea what it all meant?"

"Yes, and that's also the way it was for Harry; like me, he grew up not knowing that he was magical. Strange things happened to both of us, and we didn't know what they meant, or how they had happened. One time I sneezed, while holding an orange, and it turned into an orange pigeon, and flew away. I understand now that it was accidental transfiguration, but at the time I was afraid to tell anyone what had happened."

"Well," replied Lavender, "I grew up in a magical family, so I was prepared for little events like that, but it still took my Mum and Dad a while to recognize my ability in Divination. Initially, it took the form of strong impressions I would have about people, especially bad people who were hiding something. I just felt that I knew they had dark secrets."

"And that's why you and Parvati were able to tell Harry that Professors Quirrell and Lockhart and Moody shouldn't be trusted? Harry told me that the two of you had warned him about all three of them."

"Yes, but keep in mind that back then I didn't know how I knew these things, or even that it signified anything. I just felt sure that something was wrong about them, and that they were a threat to Harry, so I warned him. And everyone has impressions of other people, so I didn't think that I was doing anything unusual. But my parents noticed that I sometimes had premonitions about things that I shouldn't have known about, and they got in touch with someone who knew more about Divination, a very old witch from a village near Inverness, a Miss MacKintosh, who helped us to understand it."

"How did they know about her?"

"You'll laugh!" said Lavender. "It was from an article they saw in the Quibbler. Luna's Dad believes in a lot of things that most of the magical world finds ridiculous, but sometimes it's the rest of the world that has it all wrong. My parents were skeptical, but Miss MacKintosh seemed to know what she was talking about. She looked at me closely, she asked me some questions, she waved her wand above my head, trying to sense my abilities, and then she told my parents what she saw in me."

Hermione made yet another mental note to be more receptive to ideas that seemed odd at first sight. Maybe not everything that sounded crazy really was. After all, there were more things in heaven and earth ...

Lavender continued: "So I stayed in the Divination class, and I tried to believe in Sybill as long as I could, until I had learned enough to understand how she fit into things. Look, if I were you, I might have walked out of that class, just as you did. But I came to realize that there were things I could learn, even from Professor Trelawney. She has read a good deal on the subject, and sometimes she tells me things that are helpful. Also, she has an excellent library up there. Most of the books and other materials in the room were brought there by professors who taught Divination before her. I go up there to study sometimes, and I have tea with her, and once in a while I exhibit a bit of my ability to her, but nothing dramatic. I haven't let her in on my secret, because it would be too dangerous for both of us; she would be pleased if she knew more about my abilities, but I can't have her telling people about me."

"So have you developed your skills independently, just from studying her books?" asked Hermione.

"No. I spent some time with Miss MacKintosh one summer, and she told my parents about some other people they could contact. Most of my education in that area has taken place over the summers, when I've visited schools that have Seers on the faculty. I went to Hungary last summer, and Uganda the summer before, just for a few weeks each time. I'm really not very skilled yet, but after I finish at Hogwarts I'm planning to continue my training."

Hermione listened intently, but she still wasn't sure how much of this she should believe. It all fit together well enough, but she hadn't heard anything compelling enough to convince her that Lavender truly had special abilities.

"Lavender, may I ask why you've never mentioned any of this to me before?"

"Well, for a number of reasons. Early on, it was partly uncertainty, and partly fear of rejection."

"Rejection by me?" asked Hermione.

At this, the other three smiled sympathetically. Parvati patted her on the shoulder and said, "You are aware, aren't you, Hermione, that you can be just a tiny bit judgmental at times?"

Hermione felt surrounded, and disconcerted, but she saw the truth in what Parvati had said, and she conceded, "Yes, I guess I can be. And I'm beginning to see that it's something I need to work on. I promise to try."

"So that's what it was for the first few years," continued Lavender. "And later, as I began to understand things better myself, and I saw what was going on in the world, you know, the return of Voldemort, it just seemed best to keep it secret. I realized that my talent might be helpful some day, and just as I'd come to understand the danger to Professor Trelawney, I began to see that it would be dangerous for me if my secret were known."

Now Lavender reached out and rested a hand on one of Hermione's, as she continued: "So it wasn't so much about keeping it from you in particular; it was just that once I had told Parvati and Padma, I was afraid to let the circle grow any larger. I had this feeling, maybe partly because of this ability, that some greater end would be served if I kept it secret. I could see that you and Harry and Ron were involved in something very big, something you didn't fully understand, and I thought I should lie low and try to figure out what my role might be."

"That's a lot for me to consider," said Hermione. "I think I understand what 'accidentals' are. So can you tell me, now that you have a better understanding of your own ability, what your talent actually is? And I should tell you that I was in the Hall of Prophecies at the Ministry last year, and I saw that there were thousands of them, way more than I would expect to accumulate from occasional prophecies by people like Professor Trelawney."

"Well, Hermione, I think you'll be pleased to know that most Divination is not a matter of sitting around and waiting for lightning to strike. For 'accidentals,' that's all there is, and you're right, even the most prolific ones produce only a few prophecies in a year. For the rest of us it's a process, something we learn and work at: First we listen, and try to understand as much as we can by normal means, about people and events. It's very logical and deductive up to that point. We focus our thoughts, and apply the same kind of reasoning that you do, as we try to analyze things.

"To do that, I go to a place where I can be alone, and I sit quietly, and I consciously sort through all of the things that I know about a person, or about some larger question or problem, and then, if conditions are right, I begin to have a premonition, a vision of something that will happen. And once it appears, I try to hold onto it, the way you would try to hold onto a dream just after you've awakened. I try to pull it into view, in my mind, where I can see it clearly and understand it. Sometimes it's an image of an event, and sometimes it's a verbal prediction in a few sentences, though often enigmatic. I'm not far enough along in my training to make a lot of sense of mine, but the real masters can, and they're the source of most of the prophecies you saw in the Ministry."

"And if a Seer has a vision of an event, and makes a prophecy, does it always work out exactly that way?"

"That's one of the biggest questions of all, Hermione. Now tell me, have you ever read that story by Charles Dickens, 'A Christmas Carol?'"

"Yes, every Muggle child sees it as a play, or at the cinema, and eventually reads the book."

"And do you remember what Scrooge asks the third Spirit, the Ghost of Christmases Yet to Come, when he's in the graveyard?"

"Do you mean about whether the future he's been shown is absolutely determined, or if it can be altered?"

"Yes, exactly. Scrooge asks, 'Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of the things that May be only?'"

"Yes, that's it," said Hermione. "And I think the second Spirit has already said something like that, about Tiny Tim."

"Yes," said Lavender, "the second Spirit says that he sees a vacant seat at the table, and a crutch without an owner, 'if these shadows remain unaltered.' And that's pretty much the situation. I've sometimes wondered if Dickens was magical, or knew someone who was, because that's a fairly accurate description. We _can_ alter these shadows. When I have a vision, I see what might be, perhaps what's nearly certain to be, but it remains in our power to change things. And that basically means that if we give up trying to do the right thing, because we believe that everything is predetermined, we forfeit our ability to influence events. I would hate to think that anything could truly be predicted with absolute certainty. It depends on what we do, how we behave. You know, Hermione, you may have altered Cormac's future when you confronted him the way you did."

"Well, as you said earlier, we'll just have to see about that; it's really up to him." said Hermione, "But I think I understand your point. And sorry, but that leads me to another question: If we do have the power to determine future events, or at least to influence them, despite what you and other Seers may have predicted, what role do your visions play?"

"That's another difficult question. I think that what Seers can provide are warnings of the dangers ahead. They can help us to understand people's motives. And Hermione, I wish I could tell you otherwise, but I have seen a lot of evil motives at work over the past few years. There are bad times ahead, very bad times. And that year of the Triwizard Tournament, when I warned Harry about Mad Eye Moody, I could see that he was up to something, and I felt that he had a secret, but I didn't know what it was. That was two years ago, before I'd studied very much with people who understood how this worked. So I was still just groping around, trying to figure out how to make sense of these visions..."

At this point, Lavender's eyes began to well with tears, as she continued to speak: "And I kept seeing Harry in a graveyard, all through that year, but I didn't know what it meant. He was always alive in my visions, and I just hoped he'd be safe, even though I could feel death all around him. I thought that my perceptions of death were from the graves themselves. And then he was transported there from the maze, and poor Cedric was killed! But I never saw Cedric in my visions! I had no idea what was going to happen! All I saw was Harry in that graveyard, with dark shadows all around!"

Now Lavender was sobbing uncontrollably, and Parvati rushed over to her, held her tightly, and said, "You didn't know, Lavender! It's not your fault!" She turned to Hermione and said, "All through that year she kept dreaming of that graveyard, with Harry walking through it, but we didn't know what it meant! We told Harry to stay away from cemeteries, but we didn't know what was coming."

Hermione looked over to Padma, who quietly nodded to her, confirming this history. And now, at last, Hermione understood, and believed. And she began to understand what it meant to be a Seer, what it meant to carry this burden. This wasn't a parlor game; it was life and death that passed through the minds and eyes of Seers. Lavender could see, or half see, a string of tragic events that lay ahead. But she could never know for sure what would be, and what would not, what was fixed and what might be altered. It still came down to living in this world and trying to do what was right.

Now a cloud moved in front of the sun, and the cold day suddenly felt dark and threatening. It was almost noon, and the four young witches stood and began to walk back up the hill to the castle. Hermione walked ahead with Padma, while Parvati and Lavender followed. Lavender continued to weep, and Parvati held her closely, and talked to her quietly as they walked along.

Soon the castle came into view, and Hermione saw the first-year Slytherin girl sitting on the front step, watching them emerge from under the trees. As they approached, the little girl jumped up and ran inside. Hermione and Padma stopped for a moment, to allow Parvati and Lavender to catch up with them, and the four of them continued together toward the building.

Looking to her right, Hermione saw Harry, Ron, Ginny, and the rest of the Gryffindor quidditch team returning from practice. The two groups arrived at the castle entrance at the same time, and began to mingle. Hermione noted that Ginny was observing her and her three companions closely, particularly Lavender, who was wiping her eyes. This time Ginny's face showed no hint of hostility, just sympathy for Lavender, who obviously was upset.

Once inside the castle, Padma walked off to the Ravenclaw quarters, while the rest of the group continued up to the Gryffindor tower. As they entered the common room, Hermione noticed Cormac sitting at a table, working on an assignment. He looked up, saw her, and walked over.

"May I speak with you, Hermione?" he asked.

"Yes, of course," she replied, and they retreated to two easy chairs in a corner.

Cormac began: "Hermione, you did a great favor for me the other day. It's not easy to admit this, but I've been behaving like a spoiled brat, and you scared some sense into me. I just want to thank you. And if you see me acting that way again, I hope you'll let me know."

"You're quite welcome, Cormac; that's good of you to say. Lavender told me that you apologized to her, and from the heart, I'll tell you that it meant a great deal to her for you to say that."

Glancing over to where Lavender was standing with a few of the others, Cormac said, in a low tone, "She looks like she's been crying. Is she alright?"

"Yes, she's OK. We were just talking about something that's been weighing on her." Cormac nodded, and then, as he rose to return to his essay, Hermione added, "And since you asked me to, yes, I will keep an eye on you."

Cormac smiled, a bit nervously and said, "Thanks; I hope I don't give you reason to act," then returned to his work.

Hermione rose from the chair, her mind full of thoughts about the morning's revelations, but as she walked toward the stairway to her room, Ron approached her and asked, "What were you talking about with that prat?"

"Excuse me?" Hermione replied.

"I want to know why you're talking to Cormac!" Ron replied.

"You want to know _why_ I'm talking with someone? Are you crazy? If I want to talk to someone, I will! You have no right to interrogate me!" And she rushed off to the stairs.

Lavender and Parvati had observed this exchange, and they quickly followed Hermione upstairs, where they found her storming angrily around their room.

"Don't worry, Ron will come around," said Lavender.

"I don't care if he ever 'comes around,' whatever that's supposed to mean! He can't tell me who I can talk to! What business is it of his if I exchange two civil sentences with Cormac?"

Lavender, now calm herself, said, "He's confused, Hermione. He doesn't know what he's thinking. But please believe me when I say that he likes you as much as you like him."

Hermione looked up, incredulously, and asked, "Is that something you can see by Divination?"

Lavender walked over to Hermione, hugged her, and answered, "No, it's something I can see by just looking. Anyone can see what's going on between the two of you."

"But if he likes me, why does he act like he doesn't trust me?"

"Oh Hermione, if only it could be so simple ... I'm not defending his behavior; of course he has no right to talk to you like that. But I'm trying to look beneath the surface. He's completely smitten with you, but he's confused, and jealous, and yes, he's behaving immaturely. He simply doesn't know how to get it right."

The two girls continued to hug each other, as Parvati sat quietly nearby. And from where she sat, she could see, as Hermione could not, that Lavender was weeping again.


	5. The Tracks of My Tears

The Tracks of My Tears (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, 1965) v=BCwkZrj2VT4

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The next day, Sunday, dawned cold and rainy. Hermione slept until late in the morning. After her initial spat with Ron the previous day, things had only worsened. For the rest of the afternoon Ron had behaved as though he was offended, and was waiting for an apology from Hermione. Needless to say, none was forthcoming. By early evening Hermione retreated to her room, and she went to bed early, feeling angry and confused. Once in bed, she wept quietly until far into the night, and she fell asleep only a couple of hours before dawn. Now, as she awakened, with the sun already high in the sky, she saw a plate sitting on her bedside table, with a muffin and some fruit that Lavender and Parvati had brought back from breakfast. As she sat in bed, nibbling on the muffin, her two roommates returned.

Parvati sat beside Hermione on her bed, and asked, "Feeling better?"

"I hardly know what I feel," Hermione replied. "Mostly just drained; I couldn't get to sleep for the longest time." Smiling weakly, she said, "Thank you for bringing the food." Turning now to Lavender, Hermione continued, "May I ask you something, Lav?"

"Yes, of course."

"Well, a week or so ago, on one of those nights that I stayed out late, I overheard you two talking about me and Ron. At least I think you were talking about us. And yesterday, after we returned from the lake, you seemed to know all about how I feel about him, and even about how he feels about me. I mean, he's been behaving like an absolute brute, and I wouldn't forgive him now if he begged me to, but I'd just like to know what you think is going on."

Lavender answered, "Hermione, I'll be glad to tell you what I've been thinking about the two of you - actually, what Parvati and I have been thinking - but it might help if you didn't speak about him quite so dismissively. And actually, I think that you might even be able to forgive him, if he found a way to come out of the fog he's been in, and began to see how poorly he's been behaving."

"Well, maybe," replied Hermione, with an embarrassed smile.

"And he did ask about you at breakfast," Parvati said. "I think he's confused and worried."

"Well, either that, or he was wondering if I was going to show up and hex him, so he'd have three ears, or five noses, or something," Hermione retorted, though in truth her anger already was subsiding. A moment later she smiled.

"Yes, maybe that too," Lavender replied, returning the smile. "Fear and loathing, and love and confusion, all in equal parts. That's what makes the world go round!" And now all three were smiling. "Look," continued Lavender, "why don't you wash up, get dressed, and finish your breakfast; and then we can talk."

Hermione agreed, and half an hour later she was relaxed, dressed, and ready to talk, though still a bit groggy from lack of sleep.

Parvati and Lavender sat down nearby, and Lavender began: "Hermione, you asked what we've been thinking about you and Ron. We all know, without having to appeal to any special powers that I might have, that our whole world is in crisis. We're safe, here in the castle, at least for now, but there are attacks and murders going on all around in the world outside. You must have heard that Voldemort personally killed Susan Bones' Aunt Amelia over the summer, right? And it can't be just a coincidence that he went after her. She was head of Magical Law Enforcement. And you know that tyrants always go after law enforcement; when those folks are compromised, or too intimidated to act, most other people will lose hope and come to believe that the only way to stay safe is to fall in line and keep quiet."

It was still disorienting for Hermione to hear Lavender speak with such acumen and sobriety about these threats to the magical world, after years of having appeared to be oblivious to such matters. But everything that Lavender said was true, and Hermione nodded in agreement, then answered, "Yes, another war is coming, or is already here. No sensible person could argue with that."

Hermione also realized that the question she'd asked, which had prompted this discussion of Voldemort, had been about herself and Ron. Her feelings about Ron seemed trivial in light of the larger problems in the world. However, Lavender seemed to be implying a connection, so she listened closely, wondering what that connection might be.

"OK," said Lavender, "so we all see the chaos out there, and the threat, but I can see a few other things as well. And as we said yesterday, these are only shadows of things that Might be, but they are very powerful images, among the most definite I've ever seen."

Again Hermione nodded, and Lavender continued: "I see very bad things happening at Hogwarts later this year, sometime in the Spring, I believe. Death Eaters will enter the castle - I don't know how - and someone will die. I've seen a figure falling from a great height, from one of the towers, I think, but I can't tell who it is; it's too shadowy.

"And sometime afterward, I see you and Ron and Harry on a quest of some sort. You'll be traveling secretly, trying to complete a task that I would guess has something to do with defeating Voldemort. I can even see some glimmers of light at the end; you might be successful, though I really can't tell. But the three of you will be working together on that task; that much is clear. And I've also had a crazy dream with the three of you riding on the back of a dragon as it flies over a body of water, and then you let go and drop into the water. I know, it's insane, and I've never seen it in a waking vision, so it must be just a dream."

This all had the ring of truth, except for the part about riding on a dragon, which seemed entirely too fanciful. As for the rest, Hermione still wasn't comfortable with the idea of predestination, but she had to admit that for a long time she had felt strongly that she and Ron and Harry would be involved in something larger than anything they had experienced before, and that it would be extremely dangerous and stressful. Her readiness to even consider Lavender's premonitions was also grounded in her knowledge that there had been a prophecy about Harry and Voldemort, and that there always had been a link of some sort between them, something to do with Harry's scar, and his ability to speak Parseltongue. And now Professor Dumbledore was giving Harry lessons, showing him scenes from Voldemort's past, and he had encouraged Harry to share everything that he learned with herself and Ron. All of this pointed toward a task that awaited the three of them.

Now Lavender continued, but more hesitantly: "But Hermione, I can also see that Ron will be terribly conflicted during that time, that he'll be overwhelmed by stress, that he'll lose hope, and that at some point ... well ... he'll leave you."

At these words, Hermione bowed her head, in a mixture of grief and shame, and began to weep. She knew that Ron was good inside, but she also knew how unsteady he could be; she knew that he was brave, but that he didn't believe in himself; and somehow, from deep within, she felt sure that Lavender was right. Despite the temptation to lash out at Lavender for making this prediction, she knew that it was senseless to blame the messenger. And amid all of these thoughts, what she felt most strongly was the tragedy of Ron's internal conflicts, and the shame, on his behalf, that at some point in the future he would abandon them. Now her weeping grew to loud sobs. Soon her body was shaking as she cried with abandon, like a small child. A voice within her told her that lack of sleep was contributing to this sense of hopelessness, but still, she felt that all was lost.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry to be telling you this. But it's not all bad ... "

"How isn't it all bad?" demanded Hermione, through her tears. "You know I love him, or something like that, and you say he has the same feelings for me, and then you tell me that he's going to abandon me, and abandon Harry, when we need him! Where is there any good in that? How can he be so weak?"

Lavender took hold of Hermione's hand, and held it as she said, "Hermione, I don't think he is weak. I think he's one of the strongest people we know, but he's lived with a constant burden that most of us can't really understand. You know his family better than I do, but we've all seen what he's had to live with. He has a bunch of older brothers, I don't even know how many, who seem to take him for granted. Fred and George seem to delight in teasing him. Last year, even when he'd been appointed as a Prefect, they went out of their way to taunt him. And I remember Percy too, his bossy, superior attitude, always correcting everyone and everything, and particularly Ron. The twins had enough confidence between them to push back at Percy, but Ron has been taking it from all three of them for as long as we've known him."

"And on top of that, as you know very well, he has a lovely sister, a younger sister at that, who is smart, and confident, and happy. I remember how shy she was when she first came to school, but look at what she's become. She has her pick of boyfriends, and she's more sure of herself on the quidditch team than Ron is. Ginny has grown up in a way that Ron still hasn't. Of course, he has you and Harry as friends, but to him, the rest of the world must look like a giant conspiracy to demean and belittle him. So in my opinion, he's an incredibly strong person, but he's had to deal with a degree of adversity that would crush most people, and he hasn't yet found a way to believe in himself."

Listening to these words, Hermione was stunned to hear how clearly Lavender was describing Ron's world. Hermione had spent so much time with Ron through the years, at Hogwarts and at his home; she had seen his family life, and she had always been bothered by the way his brothers treated him. She knew that it must hurt, but she hadn't considered how deeply it affected him. And here was Lavender, who had observed these things only at school, and from a distance, but seemed to have a better understand of Ron's situation than Hermione did.

After Lavender had spoken, Hermione slowly quieted her crying, dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief, and said, "Yes, I see what he's been going through. But why did you say that it isn't all bad?"

"Here's why: Although I do see him leaving you, under some kind of stress, with some kind of dark magic weighing on him, pushing him past the breaking point, I also think that I can see him returning to you, stronger, wiser, more committed, ready to complete the task. And I also see the two of you together, as a couple, somewhere further along. I really do."

Hermione's eyes were red, and her cheeks were wet and puffy from her crying, but now she was calm, and she began to feel some hope. "He'll really come back?" she asked.

"Yes, I believe he will. And I think it will be because he knows that you and Harry need him, and because he knows it's his duty, and because he knows that he loves you. He'll figure these things out, and he'll come back a better person."

"But you said yesterday that the things you see are only shadows of what Might be. How can I know what to do?"

"I think you know the answer to that, Hermione. We can never know what challenges we'll face, and we have to do what we believe to be right, whatever the world might throw at us."

"Yes, I agree with that," said Hermione, "but now you're talking about _his_ behavior, not mine. We want _him_ to do the right thing, to come back, and I think you just told me that you feel sure that he'll leave me, I mean, that he'll leave Harry and me, but that you're not so sure that he'll return."

"Yes, I'm sorry to say it, but you're right. That's what I see, and I don't know how to change it."

Parvati had listened quietly to this exchange, and now she spoke: "Actually, I've been thinking about that, and I have an idea, but it's crazy."

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

"I don't think either of you will like it, and it's just a thought, but here goes: You want Ron to return, right? That means that you want him to _want_ to return. And we all seem to recognize that somewhere inside he wants to be with Hermione, but he just doesn't understand it yet."

"Are you saying that I should try to draw him to me?" asked Hermione. "Because I don't think it would work. He's always thought of me as just a part of the team. If I were to try to, you know, attract him in some way, I think it would scare him off. Lavender says that he has feelings for me, somewhere inside, but until he understands that himself, I don't think I should try anything like that. Especially now, when he's being so horrid to me. It would just be so false."

"I agree," said Lavender.

"But that wasn't what I had in mind," Parvati replied. "Look, I think it's pretty clear that Hermione could only have a relationship of that kind in her own way, which would be as the serious, mature person she is." With a smile, Parvati went on: "We all know that Hermione is good at bluffing in poker, but I don't think she could ever be devious in a personal relationship, even if the goal was to help Ron discover his own feelings. And I think we all recognize that Ron isn't ready for that yet. What I'm trying to say is that he might need some help learning the difference between the real thing, you know, the kind of relationship he could have with Hermione some day, and a childish attachment. Just like Cormac needed some help understanding that grabbing a girl isn't exactly the path to winning her heart. We can thank Hermione for helping him with that."

"But Ron's not doing anything like that!" said Hermione.

"No, thank goodness!" said Parvati. "I think he needs a different kind of lesson. I think he needs to learn the difference between a frivolous affair and the kind of adult relationship that any boy would be lucky to have with you."

Hermione didn't follow Parvati's line of reasoning, but Lavender caught on immediately, and she spoke sharply: "So you're saying that he needs to have a meaningless fling with the class floozie, to help him understand the value of the real thing?" And with that she jumped up and ran out of the room.

Parvati ran after her, calling, "Lavender, please stop, I didn't mean it that way!"

Hermione was left alone in the room, puzzling through the idea that Ron's pathway to discovering his feelings for her could include a childish relationship with Lavender. Parvati had left the door open when she ran out after Lavender, and now Ginny, walking by in the hallway, peeked in. She had seen and heard Lavender and Parvati rushing towards the stairs, with Lavender in tears, and Parvati calling after her. Ginny looked at Hermione and asked, "What was that about?"

"They're best friends, but sometimes they fight," she replied, knowing that this answer, while true, was completely uninformative.

"And are you alright, Hermione? We missed you at breakfast. And it looks like you've been crying again. Is something going on?"

"Yes," Hermione replied, wearily, "but it would take a year to explain. And right now I'm hungry. Let's go have lunch."

Hermione washed her face, and tried to recover her composure. Ginny hugged her, and they headed down to the Great Hall, where they sat beside each other to eat. Ginny could see that Hermione was not in a state to explain anything, so she left her to her thoughts, and they ate quietly for a few minutes. Ron and Harry soon joined them, on the other side of the table, but Ron and Hermione each refused to acknowledge the presence of the other. Harry looked over to Ginny, and shook his head in dismay at the behavior of the other two. Ginny silently nodded in return, and the four of them continued to eat in silence.

The situation changed when Dean walked up, greeted the group, sat beside Ginny, kissed her on the cheek, and began to talk quietly with her. Now Ron was scowling even more, as his sister alternately ate, whispered, and kissed Dean. Harry, for his part, became self-conscious and uncomfortable. A moment ago, he and Ginny had been the two adults in the group; now he was just another one of the fools.

As they ate, Hermione occasionally glanced furtively across the table at Ron, as she considered all of the things that were wrong with Parvati's plan. It was ridiculous! It was devious and manipulative! It was cruel to Lavender! And on top of all of that, it might backfire. What if Ron, idiot that he was, decided that all he really wanted was a shallow relationship with Lavender? No conversation, no shared thoughts or feelings about anything, no mutual respect, just giggling and snogging, which is what Parvati seemed to have in mind. And what if he never grew up, and Lavender - that is, the phony version of Lavender, as most of the world knew her - became the love of his life? If so, he would never return to Harry and herself after abandoning them during that quest that Lavender had foreseen. Maybe Ron really was just a shallow twit, and anyone who expected more from him was delusional. And with that thought, she became even grumpier.

In the midst of these ruminations, Ron spoke to her: "Hermione, are you OK?"

"Never better!" she shouted, as she rose and stalked out of the room.

Ron turned to Harry, and muttered, "I told you she was mental," then returned to eating, while Harry shook his head in resignation.

A short while later, Parvati and Lavender walked in and sat beside each other, a little way down the table from the others. Harry looked their way, and saw that they weren't smiling or speaking to each other, just sitting quietly and staring straight ahead, with stony expressions, as they ate. It looked like they had argued. He wondered if their behavior, whatever it might indicate, had something to do with Hermione's mood.

For a moment, Harry mused on the novelty of his being one of the happier persons at the table, as it was so often the other way around. But that thought was dashed when Ginny and Dean stood and walked off, hand in hand, chatting happily. Harry turned to Ron, and with just a hint of sarcasm he said, "This is really nice. We should do this more often." Ron grunted, and soon afterward the two of them departed.

Lavender and Parvati were now alone at this section of the table, and Parvati resumed her appeals: "Lavender, I'm so sorry for what I said. It was stupid and mean of me to think of that plan. It would be demeaning for you, and it would subject you to more ridicule. I guess I didn't see it as more than a one-time event, a little fling that would soon be forgotten, but you're right, you'd probably have to sustain it for a few weeks. And now I see that you would have to begin that stunt just as Cormac is finally telling people that all of the horrible things he's been saying about you are lies. I don't think Hermione would ever agree to it anyway, but that doesn't excuse me. I'm really sorry, Lav ..."

Lavender continued to stare straight ahead, as she tried to reel her emotions back down to Earth, but she also reached over and rested her hand on Parvati's. Parvati was relieved at this sign of forgiveness, and she felt even better when Lavender turned to her and said, "Your hand is sticky; I think you may have gotten some honey on it." Both of them smiled, and Parvati leaned over and hugged her friend.

After a few moments, Lavender continued, haltingly, "I guess you didn't know."

"Didn't know what?"

"I would have done it. I really would have. I would have pretended to be infatuated with Ron, and thrown myself at him, and made a spectacle of myself. It would have been embarrassing and humiliating, but it was something I could have done, to help him discover his feelings for Hermione. As for my reputation, well, I gave up worrying about that a long time ago. If any of us survive the next year or two, I can begin to behave more maturely, and people will just think that silly old Lavender Brown has finally grown up. You know, they'll smile, and shake their heads, and say, 'It's about time.'"

Parvati replied, tentatively, "But Lav, if you say you would have done it, if you really think it might have helped, if you could have handled the consequences, why did you get so upset? I know I shouldn't have suggested it, but why did you react that way?"

Lavender turned and looked directly at Parvati and quietly said, "So you really don't know?"

Parvati looked back blankly, and Lavender continued, "Parvi, I really do have feelings for Ron; I have for a long time. You heard what I said to Hermione. Under all of his childish behavior I see a very beautiful person. He's brave and loyal and good to the core, and he loves those idiotic brothers of his, in spite of all the abuse they throw at him. I've hardly admitted it to myself, but there it is: I do like him."

Now she touched her temple with an index finger, and said, "But I've had several clear glimpses of Ron and Hermione together, as a couple, sometime in the future, so I suppose it's hopeless for me anyway. But I thought that you knew how I felt."

Now Parvati understood: "So I've gone and asked you to throw yourself at him, and have a shallow relationship, to help him find his way to a true relationship with Hermione ... but you want the real thing too."

Lavender nodded, as a tear rolled down her cheek, and said, "Hermione can never know. Do you understand?"

Parvati nodded her assent, then leaned over and hugged her dear friend, and said, "Oh Lavender, I'm so sorry!"

As they sat beside each other at the Gryffindor table, hugging each other and crying together, Professor McGonagall walked up and said, "Ladies, is something terribly wrong?"

"No, Professor," said Parvati, as she tried to control her tears, "it's nothing serious; we're just talking about a boy." The two girls rose and departed hurriedly, leaving Professor McGonagall shaking her head and trying to recall her own emotional state at the age of sixteen.


	6. I Hope I Don't Fall in Love with You

I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You (Tom Waits, 1973) v=MRyYayGtRBo

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Things were fairly quiet for the next few weeks, until the awful day when Katie Bell was nearly killed by the cursed opal necklace that had been given to her at The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. The school was soon in an uproar, though things calmed down a bit when word went around that Katie would recover.

Harry now turned to the practical task of finding a substitute for Katie on the house quidditch team. Harry eventually offered the position to Dean, who gladly accepted. Dean was the best person for the job, in terms of team competitiveness, but Harry also recognized that there would be new personal complications. Dean would now have another reason to be close to Ginny at all times of the day, and Harry knew that this would contribute to Ron's irritability. Dean and Ginny already studied together most evenings, chatted in the common room during free times, and ate their meals together; and now they would be flying together during practices as well. Of course, Harry was as unhappy about this relationship as Ron was, but he knew that nobody would understand, except Hermione, and he kept his feelings on the subject to himself.

During this time, Ron was becoming increasingly antagonistic to Hermione. It burst out one day during Herbology Class, when he angrily suggested that she should attend the Slug Club Christmas party with Cormac McClaggen. His timing was horrendous, as Hermione archly replied that she had intended to invite Ron to the party, but would gladly attend with Cormac if that really was Ron's wish. On balance, this dispute hadn't ended too badly: Ron quickly retracted his suggestion, but his relationship with Hermione remained icy.

After class, as Ron and Harry took a shortcut back to Gryffindor tower, they ran into Ginny and Dean, kissing in a quiet hallway. Ron erupted angrily, and Ginny quietly asked Dean to continue back to the tower without her. As soon as he was out of earshot, she turned on Ron, and went ballistic. She angrily informed him that the problem was not that she was ahead of the curve, in terms of dating and snogging experience, but that he was way behind. She reminded him that all of his closest friends had already snogged, and she pointedly mentioned Hermione and Viktor in this regard. Ron had long wondered about that relationship, and he knew that if anyone was aware of the details, other than Hermione and Viktor themselves, it would be Ginny. As he absorbed this blow, Ginny added that regardless of who might be ahead or behind the curve, she was not ashamed of her behavior, and that what she chose to do was none of his business.

Truth be told, Ginny loved her brother dearly. She soon regretted much of what she had said in anger, but once said, there was no way to reel it back in. And Ron, perversely, had now come to believe that he had a legitimate reason to be angry at Hermione, although it was for something she'd done two years earlier. But in his current state of mind, that didn't matter; as he saw it, she had kissed Viktor, and he had every right to be outraged. Meanwhile, Harry's concerns about the future of the three friends continued to grow. They had been through so much together, and now it all seemed to be falling apart.

Ron's behavior continued to worsen, and his distraction level during quidditch practices seemed to increase each day. He was so worked up about Hermione's betrayal, as he saw it, that he became completely ineffective as Keeper during practices. Yet he blamed everyone but himself for his horrible performance. During one of his more rational moments, Ron quietly decided that if the Gryffindor team lost the coming match against Slytherin, as he was sure they would, he would resign his position. He would have preferred to quit right now, but there simply wasn't time to find a replacement for him before the game.

One evening, Lavender and Parvati returned to their bedroom to find Hermione sitting on her bed, alternately cursing and sobbing. They sat quietly, and allowed her to vent her anger, as she ran through a list of jinxes and hexes that she would soon be visiting upon Ron. After a while she settled down, looked up at them, her eyes streaming with tears, and plaintively said, "He's horrible! He's treating me like some kind of a criminal, and I don't even know why!"

The other two sat down on either side of her, and each in turn hugged her warmly. Then Lavender spoke: "Maybe it's time for us to do something about it."

As Hermione dabbed at her eyes, Parvati, suspecting what Lavender had in mind, shook her head and silently mouthed, "No! Don't!"

Lavender ignored these signals, and continued: "Hermione, do you remember what Parvati suggested I might do, to help Ron figure things out?"

"Yes, of course I remember, but I don't want you to do anything of the sort. I'm through with that prat, for good. And I'm sure as hell not going to let you humiliate yourself to help that idiot learn something that any human being with a brain bigger than a pea could figure out on his own! It's over! I'm going to bed!"

At this, Hermione jumped up, stalked over to her dresser, and began to rummage wildly in the upper drawer, seemingly looking for her pajamas, but mostly scattering things as she blew off steam. Parvati and Lavender continued to sit quietly. After a little while, Hermione began to settle down, and she still had her back to the other two as Lavender spoke again: "Hermione, please listen to me. You don't want me to do it, Parvati doesn't want me to do it, and I certainly don't want to do it, but I do believe that it's the best way forward."

Hermione didn't speak, but now she stood quietly, still facing her dresser, still determined not to agree to the plan, but willing to listen. Parvati began to speak, but Lavender raised her hand, signaling her to wait, and then continued: "Here's the way I see things: Our world is teetering on the brink of disaster. Our parents' generation tried to defeat Voldemort, but they failed, and now he's back, stronger than ever. I know in my heart, and it's the clearest vision I've ever had, that Hermione, Ron, and Harry have a job to do, a quest of some sort, that might finally end this horror. This isn't about romantic attachments, about helping Ron and Hermione to find each other, it's about keeping them together, working with Harry, to finish that job. And I'm pretty sure that Professor Dumbledore feels the same way. I've noticed that Harry has been meeting regularly with him, and I'm guessing that he has asked Harry to share certain information with the two of you. Is this true, Hermione?"

"Yes," Hermione replied, in a low voice.

"Well, then. What kind of a fool would I have to be to let the three of you fall apart, squabbling like this, when there's a chance of getting you past this idiotic feud?"

The other two said nothing, but now Hermione turned around and faced Lavender, who continued: "Look, I know you're upset. He's behaving like an immature prat, and you have every reason to be angry and hurt. But it's also pretty clear that neither of you would be this worked up if you didn't have feelings for each other. I accidentally overheard Ron and Ginny arguing the other day; I didn't want to eavesdrop, so I got out of there quickly, but he was lashing out at her over her relationship with Dean, and she told him that he's all messed up about it because he's never been in a relationship of that kind.

"And I think that she's basically got it right. Pardon me for engaging in a bit of amateur psychoanalysis, but I think that Ron is afraid that he'll never have a romantic relationship with anyone, and he sees you slipping away, Hermione. So unless someone in this room has a better idea, I'm going to wait for the right moment, and I'm going to give that boy a shallow, meaningless, stifling relationship. And with any luck at all, he'll realize how much happier he would be with you, and he'll run like hell away from me."

Finally, Hermione spoke: "What exactly are you planning to do?"

"Well, as you know," Lavender replied, now somewhat tartly, "I'm the most virtuous young Witch at Hogwarts, so all I'm talking about is following him around, telling him how wonderful he is, and how devoted I am to him, and snogging the poor lad to the point of suffocation. And not a thing more than that, Hermione. There is a limit to what even I'm willing to do to help save the world from Voldemort!"

Now Hermione was embarrassed: "Oh Lavender, I didn't mean that; I wasn't asking what you two would do together. I was just wondering how it would all proceed. And I must say, I really don't understand how it would help with the problem I'm having with him."

Now Lavender adopted a gentler tone: "Hermione, may I speak plainly? My view is that Ron is a really fine person, but that he's immature, at least with regard to relationships like this. He obviously has feelings for you, but he doesn't have a clue as to what he should do about it. I think he's all worked up about you because you're in the Slug Club, and once upon a time you kissed his favorite quidditch player, who happens to be a very handsome guy with a lovely Bulgarian accent.

"As I've said before, I think Ron's brothers have helped to make him this way. They've given him this feeling that he's worthless, that he'll never succeed in anything, that he'll always be second in line, but whatever the cause, this is where he is right now. But I know that he has the capacity to grow. If I didn't believe that, I wouldn't consider this ludicrous scheme. Now, if he gets a little boost to his ego from my attentions, and he begins to believe that he actually is attractive enough to have a girlfriend, even if she's a foolish, clingy, silly twit who finds it fascinating when he scratches his ear, he might just calm down long enough to realize that there's something better out there, and he'll get over his current confusion about you. It's a gamble, but that's basically the idea."

Hesitantly, Hermione asked, "And what if he decides that what you're offering is really all he wants? That you're the right person for him?"

"Well, we both know that I'm not, don't we? You're clearly the one he wants to be with. But if he's silly enough to settle for the kind of relationship that I'd be providing, I would just have to find some way to end it. It would be better, though, if he were the one to dump me."

Parvati cringed inside to hear these words, knowing the pain that Lavender was feeling in speaking them, but she continued to listen quietly, as Hermione replied, "Oh Lavender, what a horrible thought! You don't have feelings for him, the way I do, but I just can't let you pursue him that way, and then have to endure his breaking up with you. You're too good for that! And everyone would see it all happen!"

"Hermione, please don't try to talk me out of this. I've been thinking about it since the day that Parvati first mentioned it, and I've considered all of that. You know, the beginning, the middle, and the end of the whole stupid relationship." Lavender wiped away a tear, shook her head slightly, and continued: "And yes, of course it will hurt, every step of the way, and yes, I'll be publicly embarrassed, but as I've said already, I think it's worth it."

"And what should I do?"

"Give every appearance of being jealous and resentful, of him and of me; that might help him to realize that it hurts you to see him with someone else. You could even have a bit of a fling yourself."

"You mean ... ?"

"Yes, Hermione, that's exactly what I mean. Make it look like you're so upset about his relationship with me that you're trying to make him jealous in return. And if he can't figure out what you're doing, if he thinks you really are interested in someone else, I'll make sure to explain it to him. Of course, I'll also tell him that you're a fool to think that he'd ever leave me to be with you."

"But Lavender, the more I hear, the worse it all sounds. Apart from how horrible it will be for you, aren't we being dishonest, and incredibly cruel to Ron?"

Now Parvati spoke: "Yes, it is dishonest, but if Lavender is willing to do it, I guess I have to agree with her. And didn't you do something dishonest, back in September, to help Ron make the quidditch team?"

Hermione looked down at the floor, and quietly said, "You're right, I confunded Cormac. And Harry figured it out too. I didn't know that anyone else saw me do it, but now that I think of it, you and Lavender were sitting nearby in the stands. But I did it because I thought it was best for Harry and the team. I knew that Harry didn't want Cormac bossing everyone around, challenging his leadership, disrupting the whole group, so I helped Ron to win the spot, for the team's sake." She paused for a moment, and then continued, "But I have to admit that I was also trying to help Ron find some self-confidence."

"Well then," said Parvati, with sympathy, "this situation doesn't really look so different, does it? And just like that time, doing what's right for the group just happens to coincide with helping Ron."

Hermione thought for a moment, and then asked, "Can I sleep on it?"

Lavender nodded, and Hermione finally located her pajamas, and walked off to the washroom to prepare for bed.

After she left the room, Parvati quietly said, "Oh Lavender, how can you do this, when you feel the way you do about Ron?"

Lavender sighed, and then replied, resignedly: "I just keep telling myself that there are more important things in the world than my own feelings. And maybe, if we're very lucky, it will only last a week or so, the two of them will finally get together, and my little fling with Ron will soon be over and forgotten."

Hermione returned to the room, and the other two now washed up and got into bed. They blew out the candles, and Hermione closed her eyes, but she didn't fall asleep for quite a while. Rationally, she admitted to herself, something needed to be done, and as Lavender had said, none of them had a better idea. In the morning she said to Lavender, "I guess I'm for it. It feels so wrong, for so many reasons, but on balance I suppose it's worth a try."

Lavender took Hermione's hand and said, "I'll begin to lay the groundwork, and then I'll look for the right moment to attack."

Both of them smiled at her choice of words, and Hermione replied, "You are so good to do this, Lavender. Let's hope it works. And please try not to hurt him too much, or yourself, when you 'attack.'"

Over the next several days Lavender began to be noticeably attentive to Ron. She greeted him when they passed in the hall, and smiled when he looked her way, as she waited for an opportunity to make her move.


	7. Wonderful World

Wonderful World (Sam Cooke, 1960): v=R4GLAKEjU4w

This song begins with the line, "Don't know much about history ...". I mention this to avoid confusion with another fine song with the same title, which was first recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1967.

Some readers also may remember the beautiful 1977 cover of the Sam Cooke song by Art Garfunkel, James Taylor, Paul Simon, and others: v=f-s9uXvwrws

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And now the day of the quidditch match against Slytherin arrived. At breakfast, Ron looked and felt completely deflated. The resentment that he'd been harboring for weeks had burned through him, and had been replaced by an overwhelming sense of dread. As Keeper, he knew that there would be nowhere to hide when Slytherin began to pile up the points. Amidst these bleak thoughts there was no room for anger towards Ginny, Dean, Hermione, Cormac, or anyone else. Ron barely noticed when Lavender walked up and wished him luck.

But Ron was not the only person who was dreading this day. Hermione knew that the timing and form of Lavender's initial move would be determined to some degree by today's events, and she felt a twinge in her stomach as Lavender caught her eye for a split-second as she turned to leave.

In the midst of these proceedings, Harry offered Ron a glass of pumpkin juice, and suddenly Ron was aware that Hermione was scolding Harry, accusing him of having spiked the juice with Felix Felicis potion. Ron drank up, but he felt like a convicted man being led to the gallows. He remained distraught as he walked to the pitch with the rest of the team. But when he heard that Slytherin would be fielding two substitutes today, because Draco Malfoy was too ill to play, and another of the regular team members had been injured, he began to wonder if this really might be his lucky day.

As it turned out, Ron played his best game ever, making one astounding save after another. Gryffindor won handily, and as Ron dismounted from his broom at the end of the game, his mood was a mixture of elation and disbelief. Good old Harry, he thought, it took a real friend to expend some of his valuable Felix Felicis just for me, when I really needed it. In this frame of mind he was even ready to cast aside his anger at Hermione.

But that mood did not last long. Harry informed Ron and Hermione that he had only pretended to spike Ron's pumpkin juice, and that Ron had, in fact, played brilliantly, without any help from the potion. But this revelation only served to reignite Ron's anger at Hermione, and he lashed out at her for not believing him capable of playing well without the help of the potion. If he'd thought for just a moment, he might have realized that he was as guilty as she on this count, for he had played the entire game in the firm belief that his brilliance on the pitch was attributable to the potion. But that thought never occurred to him. Instead, he exploded in anger at Hermione for lacking faith in him.

A little while later, during the post-game celebration in the Gryffindor common room, Lavender closed her eyes for a moment, in silent hope that something good would come of the scheme they had devised. She began to work her way through the crowd, in Ron's direction. As she passed Hermione, she paused for a moment, smiled grimly, and said, "Once more unto the breach, dear friend." Hermione nodded her acknowledgement, and Lavender continued past her. On reaching Ron, she embraced him, and kissed him squarely on the lips.

His mind a blur, his emotions unrestrained, Ron eagerly yielded to Lavender's advances. Everything suddenly seemed perfect. Here was a girl who wanted to hold him, kiss him, and tell him how wonderful he was. And what a girl she was: Lavender was beautiful, and vivacious, and she fancied him! And having heard from Cormac himself, and later from Hermione, that all of those salacious stories about Lavender were untrue, Ron basked in the realization that he was the very first boy on whom she'd bestowed her affections. And if it bothered Hermione to see the two of them holding each other and snogging like this, well, so what? He was a free agent! And after all, hadn't she kissed Viktor Krum? If Hermione was experiencing pain over this development, she bloody well deserved it! And from that moment onward, Ron and Lavender were inseparable.

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 _Gentle Reader: It is as painful for me to write these words as it is for you to read them. If you are of the opinion that Ron has allowed himself to wallow in emotions that should be far beneath him, you will hear no argument from me. Let us hope that he will find a way to rise above this deplorable behavior.  
_

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Not long afterward, with the Slug Club Christmas party fast approaching, Hermione conferred with her co-conspirators, and they decided that it would be helpful if she attended the party with Cormac McClaggen. This wouldn't exactly be the "fling" that Lavender had once suggested, but Hermione pleaded that she simply wasn't capable of pretending to have a romantic interest in anybody, particularly a person like Cormac. She felt that she could handle a date with him, but nothing more than that, so this would have to do. She did feel guilty that Lavender was doing so much more than she, in support of their scheme, but the others accepted her limitations in this regard. As Parvati put it, this was not like playing poker; in matters of the heart, Hermione simply lacked the ability to bluff. But because she would be going out for an evening with Cormac, whom Ron detested, this one date surely would get his attention.

That evening, Hermione was sitting in the common room, doing some light reading on linguistic structural patterns in runes from Late Iron Age Welsh barrows. Over by the fireplace, Cormac was chatting with some other seventh-years, and Hermione occasionally glanced in his direction, as she thought about how she might approach the task of inviting him to the party. She was also trying to convince herself that it wouldn't really be a date, just an arrangement to walk to the party together. Should she be casual and offhand when she approached him? Or perhaps openly friendly and cheerful? She hadn't quite determined how to pitch it, but as she pondered the question, Cormac stood and walked over to her.

"Hi Hermione, may I sit with you for a moment?" he asked.

"Yes, please do," she replied with a welcoming smile. But she already felt that she was committing a misdeed.

Cormac seated himself at the table, and began: "Hermione, perhaps you're still angry with me, for what I said about Lavender that day in the hall. But I want you to know that I appreciate what you did, and that I'm trying to be a better person. And, well, I'm also wondering if you would consider accompanying me to the Slug Club Christmas party." Well, thought Hermione, at least Cormac knows how to offer a proper invitation; he seems to understand the basic rules of polite society.

"Thank you, Cormac, I'd love to. And I'm not angry at you. I spoke my piece that day, and I have no reason to think that you've done anything wrong since then. And really, I mean this," she continued, "who you are inside, who you choose to be, how you treat others, is for you to determine. I would object, of course, if I saw you mistreating people, but you're the sole keeper of what resides in your heart and mind."

With a smile, Cormac replied, "Please don't mention the word 'Keeper' to me, not after I lost that spot on the team to Ron!"

"Oh, sorry," Hermione replied, now smiling, and beginning to think that maybe Cormac wasn't so bad, "apparently I'm not sufficiently obsessive about quidditch to have appreciated the significance of that word."

"Well, I''ll let that one _pass_ ," said Cormac, with another smile, and a slight head motion signifying a Quaffle getting by him. "But seriously, Hermione, you're really talented and hard-working, everyone knows it, and I have a lot of respect for those qualities. And I've started to understand that if I behave better, I might find myself among a more interesting group of friends. You know, people who think about things other than butterbeer and partying. Anyway, thank you for accepting; so I guess we can leave from the common room that evening at, say, eight o'clock?"

"That sounds great," said Hermione. "Thank you again for inviting me." Without thinking, she reached over and gently patted his hand, which was resting on the table. Cormac blushed at her touch, then quickly rose and departed.

As Cormac returned to his friends by the fireplace, Hermione noticed that Ron was watching her from the other side of the room. A moment later, Lavender walked over to Ron, mussed his hair, giggled loudly, put her arms around him, and kissed him on the cheek. Ron returned the kiss, and Hermione took this as her cue to leave the room. She avoided looking in their direction as she hurried off to her bedroom. Ten minutes later, Lavender entered and said, "Ron was watching you the entire time you were speaking with Cormac, so it seemed like a good time to approach him. And he lost all interest in sitting with me as soon as you left the room."

Hermione thought for a moment, and replied, "You know, Lav, we're playing a very dangerous game."

"Yes, I'm quite aware of that, but we have our reasons. So did you ask Cormac to the party?"

"I was going to, but then he asked me. And I have the distinct impression that he has more in mind than simply accompanying me to the party. That boy knows how to flatter. I took it in stride, on account of our scheme, but I certainly don't want him to pursue me. You know, I'm suddenly reminded of a couplet from an old poem: 'What a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive.'"

"Shakespeare?"

"No, Walter Scott."

"Well, it's a good point to keep in mind; unintended consequences and all. But as for your fears, it's probably a good thing that Cormac invited you. He may be getting ideas, but he would have been encouraged even more if you had been the one to invite him."

That hadn't occurred to Hermione, and for a while she considered who might be thinking what at this point; and then she decided that it was an excellent time to set those thoughts aside and go to bed.

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On the evening of the party, Hermione dressed and went downstairs to meet Cormac. As she entered the common room, she saw him talking with Harry; the two boys were both dressed for the party. Cormac turned to greet her, reached for her hand, lifted it to his lips, and kissed it. From his vantage point behind Cormac, Harry pretended to gag, but Hermione ignored him, and merely smiled and greeted the two. She then glanced across the room, and saw Ron sitting in an easy chair with a book in his lap. He was staring directly at her, and glowering.

"Well," said Harry, "I'm off to meet Luna; we'll see you at the party." And he hurried towards the portrait hole.

"Shall we, then?" asked Cormac, as he offered his arm. Hermione placed her hand in the crook of his elbow, and they departed.

As she walked with Cormac to the party, her hand still resting in his arm, Hermione searched for a harmless topic to discuss. Cormac was in the class one year above hers, so she began with an innocuous question: "I guess you'll be graduating in the Spring. Do you have plans?"

"Well, actually, I've decided to stay back, and attend school for one more year, so I'll be graduating next year, along with you and your class."

This was a surprise, and Hermione didn't know if it was something she should pursue. Before she could reply, Cormac continued: "Father is really angry about it. He says it's shameful for me to take eight years to complete my education, but Mother seems to understand, and I think that the two of us together can prevail on dear old Dad."

"Oh, I'm sorry that it's a source of conflict," Hermione replied, rather noncommittally, feeling unsure of what would be proper to say.

"The reason I'm doing this, Hermione, is that my grades have always been pretty bad, just barely Acceptable, sometimes even worse. Too much time thinking about quidditch, and not enough time spent on my studies. So I'm trying to turn that around, and it does seem to be working. I think I even detected a smile from Professor McGonagall the other day," he added, with a comedic grimace.

Then, smiling at Hermione, Cormac said, "Now, I don't claim to be an "O" student, but I'm trying to be. You know, like you are, Hermione. And I just thought that if I stuck around for another year, and tried to do better, I might become something more than just another spoiled rich kid. And there are certain things at Hogwarts that I don't want to let go of just yet."

Hermione continued to smile agreeably, but her mind was racing. Did he realize that he was quoting the lyrics of that old song about a boy who was trying to improve his grades, in hopes of winning over a girl who was a good student? Did he realize that Hermione might recognize the significance of those words? Could he possibly be suggesting that he had serious thoughts about her? And what did he mean when he said that there were certain "things" at Hogwarts that he didn't want to let go of? Egads, she thought, the two of them were actually holding onto each other right now! She patted his elbow, and tried to find a way to sound encouraging, but not too encouraging. "That sounds like a good plan, Cormac; I hope you enjoy improving your knowledge of, um, various magical subjects."

And now, finally, they were at Professor Slughorn's door. They entered, and joined the party, and in a near panic Hermione observed that there was mistletoe, in abundance, almost everywhere in the room. It was Slughorn's little joke, apparently, to make it impossible to avoid it. She quickly separated herself from Cormac, and tried to stay far from him for the rest of the evening, but not with a great deal of success. She would shake him off from time to time, but soon he'd be back, hovering near her, acting way more familiar than she liked.

There was an uncomfortable scene when Filch showed up with Draco Malfoy, and shortly later, Professor Snape departed with Draco, and Harry slipped out the door behind them. A little while later, as Hermione considered what all of that might have meant, she approached the buffet table to refill her punch glass, and failed to notice the mistletoe hanging directly above her. In an instant, seemingly out of nowhere, Cormac was beside her. He pulled her close to himself, and kissed her firmly on the lips. She tried to maintain her equanimity, while extricating herself from his embrace, and in the process of this maneuver her hair became disarranged. She tried to tell herself to take all of this in stride; after all, she had been standing under the mistletoe, and like it or not, there was a general understanding about that. And it was just a kiss, nothing more. She continued to smile as she gently pushed Cormac away. He looked hurt, and Hermione said to him, firmly but in a kindly manner, "I'm sorry, Cormac, but I'm really not comfortable with more than a regular friendship with you."

Cormac seemed to recover himself, and he said, "Sorry, Hermione, I guess I misread the signs. Please don't be angry with me."

"It's alright," said Hermione, smiling awkwardly, "I'm not angry."

Soon afterward, Hermione quietly left the party. She hurried back to the Gryffindor tower, but as she approached the portrait hole she heard Cormac calling out from behind, and he caught up with her just as she reached the entrance. He had noticed her absence from the party, and had hurried after her. On entering the common room, Hermione saw Ron, still sitting where he'd been when she had departed. Nervously, she began to straighten her hair, which was still out of place, just as Cormac entered the room behind her. Immediately, Hermione realized that it must look to Ron as though the two of them had been snogging out in the hall. She was mortified, and she quickly thanked Cormac for the evening, then rushed off to her bedroom before he could claim a goodnight kiss. She hadn't done anything wrong, but she knew that she had caused pain to Ron, and she found no happiness in that.

The next day, seemingly in response to what he'd observed the evening before, Ron was conspicuously more receptive to Lavender's advances than he had been of late, and Hermione felt worse than she had before.

0-0-0

One evening, shortly before Christmas Break, Hermione was in her room with Lavender and Parvati, feeling a bit of relief that she would soon be away from everyone else for a while. The three girls were talking of their plans for the break, and amidst this, Parvati asked Lavender if she would be giving Ron a Christmas present. They all looked at each other, and Hermione said, "It seems like a good idea."

"What would be right?" wondered Lavender.

Hermione said, "Probably something that makes him feel trapped. Isn't that the idea?"

Parvati said, "I have a gold chain that I never wear; the gauge is too large, and rather than jewelry it looks like something they would use in Azkaban to restrain a prisoner." She pulled it from a drawer and held it up to view, and the three of them attempted a sober evaluation of the efficacy of this gift, while struggling unsuccessfully to avoid laughing at Parvati's reference to it as a physical restraint.

"I feel cruel," said Hermione, as she stifled a giggle, "but it's so funny!"

After they had settled down a bit, Hermione asked, "Should we attach something to it, like little hearts?"

"Too subtle," said Parvati, with a smile. "How about letters spelling out 'Property of Lavender'? That should get the message across."

Hermione and Parvati broke into laughter again. Neither of them noticed that Lavender was sitting quietly, not at all amused.

Now Lavender spoke: "If it's OK with you two, could we please not attach my name to it? How about something like 'My Sweetheart'? It declares that he's an owned man, but I wouldn't have to worry about finding the chain in the window of a pawn shop some day, with my name on it. Or sold on the street, out of a suitcase. You know, the last time I was in Hogsmeade, the day that Katie was injured by that cursed necklace, a man tried to sell me a locket. It was engraved with an ornate 'S', and I couldn't help but wonder who had actually owned it, and how it had come to be offered for sale on the street. I had a very distinct feeling that it was stolen property."

The other two, sensing Lavender's discomfort over the gift, quickly agreed that her name should not be included; after all, with or without a name, Ron would know who had sent it. Now Hermione went to work on the chain. First she used a charm to clean and polish it, so that it looked new, and then she fashioned the letters, and attached them along the chain. As she proceeded, her doubts about the whole scheme returned, but she continued, and soon completed the job.

Parvati realized that what they were doing, however justified it might be, was causing pain to more than one person. While Hermione worked on the chain, Parvati caught Lavender's eye, and silently mouthed, "I'm sorry." Lavender nodded her forgiveness.

When the job was done, Hermione held up the chain for the other two to see, and this time nobody laughed, or even smiled. Hermione handed the chain to Lavender, who wrapped it in an old sock, and placed it in her trunk. Once home, she would provide it with a proper wrapping, and send it to Ron's house in time for Christmas. And two days later they all traveled home.


	8. In My Life

In My Life (The Beatles, 1965) v=YBcdt6DsLQA

0-0-0-0-0

Contrary to Lavender's hopes, her affair with Ron did not end in two or three weeks. Not even in two or three months. She pursued him tirelessly; she smiled and blew kisses to him when they passed in the halls; she showered him with embarrassing gifts (red hearts being the most common motif); and she was constantly bestowing hugs and kisses on him, either playful or passionate, as seemed appropriate for any particular moment. Ron enjoyed these attentions for a while, but soon he grew weary of them. However, for five full months he could not find it within himself to speak directly to her, and end the relationship.

On occasion, though, Ron would tell Harry that he had always liked Lavender, but said that her current behavior had soured his feelings for her. Like Harry, Ron had always known her to be genuinely kind, friendly, and sympathetic. And he also spoke appreciatively of what he called her "out there" personality. She was easy-going, clever at teasing (in a nice way), and unafraid to laugh at the occasional dumb joke, or even at her own eccentricities. Quite simply, she had always been fun to be with. And Ron also confided that he had always liked the way that Lavender dressed: the bright colors, the bows, the general air of playfulness. "There's so much awful stuff going on in the world, you know? And she seems to understand that a bit of nonsense can help you get by."

Harry quietly noted that whenever Ron got onto this subject, he talked about the way Lavender used to be, never about the way she was now. In past years, Ron said, he had even thought about asking her out; nothing serious, mind you, just to take a walk into Hogsmeade to fool around, things like that. But now it had all been ruined by the clinging and the cooing, and the excessive laughter, and by her insistent demands for his avowals of everlasting love. It was one thing for her to enjoy joking around, but quite another for her to laugh at everything he said: "Like, is it really that funny if I mention that it's raining?"

As Harry listened to Ron's grumbling, he privately agreed with most of what Ron said, but he didn't offer much in reply, out of fear that he would set Ron off, either by sounding too positive or too negative about Lavender. As Harry remembered having said to Hermione one night, when she'd visited him in the hospital wing, he too had always liked Lavender. But now that she had ensnared Ron, so to speak, Harry wondered why she couldn't just tone down all of that ridiculous, over-the-top behavior. It all seemed so exaggerated, so false, as though it was some kind of an act. Couldn't she see that she and Ron would both be happier if she would just ratchet down the lovey-dovey stuff, and try to be a bit more real?

During this time, Hermione played her part as well as she could. She feigned irritation whenever she encountered Ron and Lavender together, or when other people mentioned their names, and she often made dismissive comments about the two of them to Harry and Ginny. Playing this double game was no fun, but she tried her best, and every evening, back in their dorm room, she apologized to Lavender for the hostility that she exhibited in public; that helped her to feel a little bit less guilty about the whole operation.

Privately, Hermione continued to question the wisdom of the whole plan, particularly after months had passed, and the affair lingered on. However, she knew that if she mentioned her doubts to Lavender and Parvati, the ensuing discussion would likely lead to the same vexatious conclusion: They had all agreed, quite a while back, that this approach was the best available option. And if they simply dropped it now, or if Hermione came clean and appealed to Ron's rational sense (such as it was; he was still pointedly hostile to her), or if she honestly confessed her own feelings for him, while he was in the midst of this crazy relationship with Lavender, things could go terribly and irreversibly wrong.

And the strategy did seem to be working, though painfully slowly. As the months passed, it became increasingly clear that Ron was tiring of Lavender. Sometimes he was rude to her, even cruelly so, and often he just sulked, as Lavender, in her most cloying manner, begged to know what was wrong with her dear Won-Won.

It was also evident to Lavender that her attentions were creating indelible impressions in Ron of her own apparent ridiculousness. She recalled that she had sometimes observed him looking at her in years past, seemingly with a bit of interest. She remembered how they used to laugh at the same kinds of things, and she wondered what might have developed between them in an alternative world, with no Voldemort and no need ever to have hatched this scheme. At present, though, she merely irritated him, and she could see it clearly in his behavior.

Under the weight of this charade, Lavender usually was able to keep her emotions under control, by reminding herself that Ron really was fated to be with Hermione. She had seen it herself, in visions that were as sharp as any she'd ever had. There they were, Ron and Hermione, holding hands, or kissing, or looking lovingly into each other's eyes. They were destined to be a couple some day (with all the usual caveats about shadows remaining unaltered), and it was her job to make sure that it actually happened. With that thought in mind, Lavender was able to handle the burden, but on occasion, when she was alone, she would allow her emotions to take control.

One evening, when she had sought refuge in an empty classroom, and was sitting alone, weeping quietly, Hermione chanced upon her, and asked what was wrong. Lavender wiped her eyes and quickly concocted a story about bad news from home, concerning a neighbor who was ill. Hermione tried to comfort her, and as they sat together, Hermione momentarily experienced a glimmer of the truth. As she hugged Lavender, and listened to her weep, Hermione began to wonder if her dear friend might actually have feelings for one of the boys they knew. Following this line of thought, she realized that if Lavender did harbor such feelings, her horribly public and humiliating display of pretended feelings for Ron was preventing her from finding happiness elsewhere. After all, she couldn't have a serious relationship with another person while she was engaging in this stunt. And if there was someone who Lavender truly liked, Hermione wondered who it might be. There were a lot of nice boys in the school, and some of them seemed well suited to Lavender's playful personality. And in the midst of this thought, for just an instant, Hermione considered how conflicted Lavender would feel if that boy happened to be Ron. But that thought flashed past in a moment, as Hermione's conscious mind moved on to other possibilities.

0-0-0

Then came the day when Ron was poisoned, on the first of March, his birthday. He was soon recovering, thanks to Harry's recollection of the properties of bezoars. As Ron would not be able to play in the next Quidditch match, Harry temporarily added Cormac to the team as Keeper, in Ron's place. True to form, Cormac was soon shouting orders to the rest of the team, and at one point he grabbed a bat from one of the Beaters, intending to demonstrate its proper use, and inadvertently hit Harry in the head with it. Harry went down, with his second head injury of the year. Now he was in the Hospital Wing with Ron, and scheme or no scheme, Hermione had to see Ron if she was going to visit Harry. Also, she was sick of her long feud with Ron, and her co-conspirators agreed that the time was right for her to try to patch things up with him, if he, in turn, was ready to reciprocate.

It turned out that he was, and now Hermione shifted gears. Rather than showing anger and hurt, she began to exhibit a detached amusement at Ron and Lavender's relationship. Ron was about through with Lavender anyway, though he still hadn't found a way to inform her of this fact, and Hermione's new, tolerant attitude toward him seemed to be helping him to move forward.

All they needed now was an event that would trigger a confrontation between Ron and Lavender, and it occurred one day, when Lavender observed Hermione and Ron emerging together from the boys' dormitory. Harry actually was with them, under his Invisibility Cloak, but it appeared to others that Hermione and Ron had been together, unaccompanied, in his room. Lavender seized the opportunity, and pretended to blow her top at Ron, for "cheating" on her, as she put it. Ron defended himself and Hermione, and finally he ended the affair. There was quiet celebration in the sixth-year Gryffindor girls' bedroom that night, over the conclusion of a scheme that had exhausted all who were involved, and worn heavily on their emotions.

0-0-0

 _Readers of the canon are aware of events during the following year: The Carrows, under Headmaster Snape, ran Hogwarts like a prison, using the Cruciatus Curse, and other forms of physical and emotional punishment, to maintain discipline, while Harry, Ron, and Hermione searched for Horcruxes. As Lavender had foreseen, Ron did abandon Harry and Hermione, under the influence of Salazar Slytherin's cursed locket. But immediately upon departing, he regretted his action, and eventually he returned to them, wiser, more steadfast, and determined to complete the quest. He saw the pain that his lapse had caused for Hermione, and he came to have a better understanding of duty, love, and commitment to a cause. Hermione, for her part, could not be sure if the scheme that she and Lavender had perpetrated during sixth year had influenced the shadows that Lavender had seen, but even when Ron returned, and as she expressed her genuine anger at him for having left, she privately celebrated the fact that the team was reunited._

 _And then came the Battle of Hogwarts. Lavender was attacked by Fenrir Greyback on the upper landing of the marble staircase near the front hall of the castle, and the two of them crashed to the floor below. Lavender was helpless as Fenrir jumped onto her and sank his teeth into her neck. She could offer no resistance, and would have been dead in seconds, except that Hermione, who happened to be running by at that moment with Ron and Harry, under the Invisibility Cloak, blasted Fenrir off of Lavender's prone body, and Professor Trelawney, throwing crystal balls from the landing above, hit him immediately afterward. He fell back, unconscious, and a short time later he sprang up and fled the area._

0-0-0

Sybill Trelawney looked down from the landing and saw her beloved student lying on her back, unconscious and bleeding profusely. She ran down the stairs and dragged Lavender to a quiet room nearby, where she tended her as well as she could. When the battle ended, she informed Professor McGonagall of Lavender's dire situation, and Lavender was removed to St. Mungo's. Her wounds were deep and severe, but Fenrir Greyback had been in human form at the time that he had bitten her, so she would not become a werewolf herself. However, Fenrir had prepared for the battle, and by design his bite had introduced several cursed toxins into the bloodstreams of his victims. Lavender arrived at St. Mungo's unconscious, feverish, and near death.

In the days following the battle, those who hadn't sustained severe injuries began the long process of putting things back in order. And one by one they headed home. Molly and Arthur Weasley invited Harry and Hermione to stay with them, and soon they were back at the Burrow with the rest of the Weasley family, grieving together for those who had fallen, and trying to learn to live again. As always, Harry roomed with Ron, while Hermione stayed with Ginny. There wasn't much to do each day, and except for the sadness that permeated the household, daily life was a long, idle break from all busy-ness. Family members, along with Harry and Hermione, sat and talked over tea for long periods of time, or took walks in the garden, and in the fields and paths beyond.

Molly took the loss of Fred the hardest, or at least she showed it the most. The others were somber and quiet, while Molly couldn't stop weeping. In spite of the personal grief they were feeling, there was much to do at the Ministry, and after a week, Arthur began to talk about the necessity of his returning to work, "someday soon," as he put it. Everyone understood, and on days when he was away, the rest of the family made certain that Molly was never left alone for more than a few minutes at a time.

In bits and pieces, Harry, Ron, and Hermione gradually told the tale of their year-long quest for the Horcruxes. Little pieces of the puzzle were assembled by the group as questions were pursued, giving everyone much to think about, particularly with regard to the behavior of Professor Snape through the years, and the checkered history of the Dumbledore family. In the course of these discussions, some members of the group became philosophical about such questions as the role of fate and predestination in worldly events. Hermione had learned something of these matters from Lavender, but she didn't feel that she understood them very well, so she usually kept her thoughts to herself. And most of the others were content to take comfort in the firm understanding that Voldemort was really, truly gone forever. And it was recognized by all that no talk of those most evil of magical inventions, Horcruxes, would ever occur outside this group.

0-0-0

During this period, the two young couples often spent time together, in one room or another of the house, or rambling around the countryside. At times they would walk to the top of a nearby rocky hill, from which they could see the Burrow in one direction, and Luna's home in another, but nobody was ready to go visiting yet. There was an understanding in the wizarding community that families needed a few weeks to grieve alone, before anyone should come calling.

As Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny wandered and talked, and the stresses of the war began to dissipate, they noticed a growing distinction between the relationships within the group. Linked as they were by the harrowing events of the past, all four watched these changes develop, almost as outside observers might. To put it simply, all four of them could see that as Harry and Ginny drew more closely together, Ron and Hermione were drifting apart. With the four of them living in the same house, sharing their thoughts, while recovering from the crushing weight of the war, there were no barriers to the discussion of this or any other subject. Though it might have been expected that Ron would speak more openly with Harry, and Hermione with Ginny, everything among them was now available for general discussion. Hermione and Ron continued to be close friends who could talk together, and hug and kiss as family members would, but it was clear that their romance had faded.

Ginny recalled what Molly and Arthur Weasley had once told Bill, that everything is different in times of war, that people may find themselves comforted by another during such times, though the bonds that united these couples would not have arisen in a normal setting, and that many of these relationships fade away when peacetime returns. Ron and Hermione both nodded in agreement with this observation, and nobody sought a deeper explanation. Their love had grown in wartime, and it had flowered briefly, during the final crisis, but now, with the war having ended, that phase of their relationship had ended.

Ron observed one day that the two of them had taken years to find each other, a brief moment to connect, and a few weeks to move on, and then added, "I have to admit, though, that after I abandoned you two last year, it was a mixture of thoughts that made me determined to find my way back. I knew I had a duty to return, to try to complete the job we had started, and I'll always regret having left you. But beyond the matter of duty, I also missed my two best friends. And on top of that, I also knew that if I had ever had a chance to get together with Hermione, it was probably gone for good." Looking at Harry and Hermione, he continued, "And all three of those thoughts just swam around in my head, while I tried to find my way back."

Hermione listened quietly to Ron's disclosure, and wondered if the determining factor in the whole equation could possibly have been that ridiculous stunt they had contrived the year before. But on consideration, she felt that this was not the time to divulge the truth about Lavender's attentions to Ron. Eventually, she knew, she would have to tell Ron what they had done, but she also recognized that it would hurt him to learn how his emotions had been manipulated. In her estimation, he was hurting enough right now, and the story could wait.

0-0-0

That evening, in Ginny's bedroom, Hermione asked about the past year at Hogwarts: "We've told you what we did all year, in our search for the Horcruxes, but you haven't said much about life at school."

"It was pretty bad, Hermione. They treated us like prisoners, and they abused us constantly. Physically and emotionally. It was all about humiliation, degradation, getting us to lose hope. They marched us around, shouted at us, shamed us, taught Dark Arts, rather than Defense Against, and punished us almost at random, sometimes just for looking at someone the wrong way. Some of them were sadists who seemed to delight in pushing kids around. If Neville and Seamus and some of the others hadn't started a resistance, I think a lot of us might have just given up. But if you win even one round against those goons, to every ten rounds that they win, you start to have some hope. And eventually our goal was to achieve a better ratio than one to ten.

"It started out as straight-up confrontation, but that didn't work very well. You know, someone would refuse to do something, or push back somehow, and they'd get hit, physically, or even with the Cruciatus Curse, or they would be locked away alone somewhere for a week or two. But then we began to understand that our greatest weapon was mockery, you know, insubordination that made them look like the idiots they were. Do you remember when Fred and George made a swamp in front of Umbridge's office? She had no idea how to remove it, and it showed how ridiculous and pompous she was, that she was just a nasty old fool with pretensions. So that sort of thing became our inspiration. We were still getting punished, but after a few good stunts, the whole school got into it, and eventually we were all trying to outdo each other. But we never did anything that caused bodily harm; it was all about showing up the Carrows and their sidekicks as the stupid criminals they were, not providing them with a pretext to punish people physically.

"We also learned to cover our tracks. You know how the last few spells cast by a wand can be traced? Well, if someone tossed out a jinx in class, at one of the so-called 'professors,' and then quickly cast a few more harmless spells, to prevent it being traced, they could still identify that person by tracking the ones that followed. But we realized pretty quickly that if someone cast a jinx, and then everyone in the class immediately shot off several little spells, they couldn't tell who had done the first one. They could punish the whole class, and they often did, but that defeated the purpose, because we were building solidarity, even among the teams."

"Teams?"

"Oh, I forgot, you don't know about them. It was a friendly competition. Not quite as fun as Quidditch," Ginny added with a smile, "but it did wonders for morale. A few folks would plan something together, then one or two of them would create a diversion, and the others would pull a stunt, like putting an invisible barrier around one of the criminals who were pretending to be teaching. The class would end, we'd all leave, and they'd be stuck in this invisible box, maybe with a pink clown hat attached to their head, until one of the guards came along and freed them. We didn't actually award points to the teams, but everyone knew who to congratulate, and the next day another team would pull a stunt of their own. And creativity was always appreciated. I was in a little group with Lavender and Parvati and Padma and Luna; we called ourselves the Bad-Ass Witches."

Hermione smiled to hear their pet name. "It sounds like the name of a Rock band."

"Oh yes, and we made some wicked music! One time they caught Lavender, and they put her in front of the class and shouted abuse at her. So she started to cry, and we all felt badly for her, but every once in a while, amidst all the 'Boo Hoos,' she threw in a cry of 'BAW BAW,' and the rest of us knew she was OK. It became our trademark, to run a prank, and then, if we were caught, we'd make sure to cry 'BAW,' so everyone would know that the Bad-Ass Witches had struck again. And Lavender invented the _Musa Derma Reticulato_ spell, which became extremely popular."

Hermione thought about it for a second, and asked, "Banana Peel Net?"

"Precisely! Seamus had developed the _Musa Derma_ , which removed all friction from a surface. If you cast it on a spot on the floor, anyone who stepped there went flying. But there was always the fear that someone would be injured, and we were determined to avoid that. And then, one evening, Lavender worked up the _Reticulato_ part. With that in the spell, a net appears, catches the victim, and raises them up to the ceiling. And if you cast it just right, the net closes around the victim and holds them inside, suspended, until someone comes along and frees them. It was like the invisible box hex, great fun to do in class. The 'professors,' as they called those clowns, soon became afraid to step away from their desks during classes, because they knew that half the floor was enchanted with one thing or another."

"I like that," said Hermione. "And it does sound like the sort of thing that Lavender would invent. It makes the point, without being cruel. ... So you got along pretty well with her?"

"Well, Hermione, I'm sure you remember that I used to think of her as being about as serious as a pygmy puff. And I know that I wasn't very nice to her back then. And I eventually realized how awful I'd been. But she had changed too. She was like a different person last year. She could be really funny when we needed a laugh, but she was absolutely serious about the resistance, and she was generally right in the thick of the 'disturbances,' we created. Professor Snape, bless his heart, whenever he scolded us about our behavior, always talked about how the faculty 'would not tolerate any more _disturbances_.' But of course, that only inspired us to invent new forms of disturbance. And Lavender was really good at it; I guess she finally grew up."

"Or maybe there was more to her all along?" said Hermione.

Before Ginny could answer, Hermione continued: "So were there a lot of romantic entanglements? I mean, that's what seems to happen in situations like that."

Ginny replied, "Yes, quite a few. Once people began to believe that it was their last chance for any kind of happiness, a lot of them simply lost their inhibitions. Boys were chasing girls they'd always fancied, and girls were chasing boys. I mean, not me! Harry and I had an understanding, you know that, and I stuck to it!"

With a little smile, she continued, "If I'd wanted to, I could have had a lot of fun, but I remembered who I was, and how I felt about Harry. But Lavender could have had just about any boy she wanted. You wouldn't believe the number of guys who were after her. And Cormac, of course, was the most persistent."

"Cormac McLaggen?"

Ginny nodded and said, "The one and only. Now don't get me wrong, Hermione. He's still the same arrogant, bossy person he always was, but at least he had learned to respect some boundaries with the girls, and he was also very helpful in the resistance. In an environment like that, what counts the most is which side you're on, and he did choose correctly." Now Ginny paused for a moment, and then asked, "Wasn't he interested in you, after you confronted him that time in the hallway?"

"Yes, for a little while."

Ginny laughed and said, "Well, let's at least give him credit for having good taste! First you, then Lav!"

"Oh Ginny, please!"

"But really, Hermione, he was very attentive to Lavender. Polite, but way too attentive. When he behaves properly, he can be charming, you know, in a textbook kind of a way: Polite, considerate, respectful, always ready with a compliment. And with Lavender he just wouldn't stop trying. He seems to have a kind of transactional view of relationships, like if he pays enough attention to someone, if he says and does the right kinds of things, if he's persistent enough, they owe him their affection in exchange. It took a long time for him to get the message that Lav wasn't interested, but eventually he relented, and he took up with some other girls, who were more appreciative of that kind of behavior."

0-0-0

The next morning, Hermione rose early enough to join Molly in seeing Arthur off to work. After he departed, Hermione turned to Molly and said, "Mrs. Weasley, I'd like to visit my old roommate, Lavender, at St. Mungo's. Would you mind if I headed out for a while?"

"Of course I don't mind, Hermione. It's a great comfort to have you here with us, but you shouldn't feel bound by the fact that the rest of us are staying at home. I know there are people you'd like to check on. So feel free to come and go as you like. And I think you'll find that other people will soon be starting to visit the families who are grieving."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley; I appreciate that."

"And one more thing, Hermione: Please call us Arthur and Molly. No more of this 'Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,' alright? And please ask Harry to do the same."

"OK, I'll try to remember that, uh, Molly."

After breakfast, Hermione walked out to the garden, and apparated to St. Mungo's.


	9. Mrs Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter

Sorry folks, but this nutty little song just screamed to be the title for this chapter:

Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter (Herman's Hermits, 1965) v=lv8k0VI9tBc

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On arriving at St. Mungo's, Hermione checked in at the front desk, and headed to the lift. As she approached the door to Lavender's room, she proceeded slowly, not wishing to alarm those inside with a sudden entrance. She peeked into the room, and saw Parvati sitting beside the window. Parvati looked up, smiled, beckoned Hermione to enter, and said to another person in the room, "Lucy, this is Hermione Granger, our other roommate and good friend. And Hermione, this is Lavender's mother, Lucy Brown." Mrs. Brown was sitting beside a bed, holding Lavender's hand; and Lavender was lying on her back, apparently sleeping. Padma was also in the room.

Hermione approached Lavender's mother and spoke tentatively: "Hello, Mrs. Brown. I think I've seen you at King's Cross once or twice, but I don't believe we've actually met before. I'm so sorry for what's happened."

Lucy Brown, rising to greet Hermione, said, "Hello, Hermione. I've heard a lot about you, and I'm very glad to meet you at last. Please call me Lucy."

"OK, I'll try." Hermione greeted Parvati and Padma, and took a place in another chair, while the others seated themselves again.

"Have you seen the Weasleys?" asked Padma.

"Yes, I'm staying with them. So is Harry. It's been very hard on them, but the family is together, and they're starting to adjust. Mr. Weasley went back to work at the Ministry a couple of days ago. He'd much rather stay home, but there's a lot to do right now."

Turning to Lucy Brown, Hermione asked, "And how is Lavender?"

"Well, I don't want to engage in wishful thinking, but it she seems to be past the worst of it. She's been unconscious since it happened, and the Healers tell me that she's out of danger. They expect her to wake in a few days. It seems that they can awaken people who have these poisons in their system, but it's better in the long run she's allowed to wake up on her own. I don't think I'll really relax until I can talk with her, but they've been right about everything up until now."

Hermione looked closely at Lavender, who continued to lay still. She was pale, but breathing regularly.

A moment later, Parvati said, "I think we'll go now; we'll be back tomorrow. Please send our best wishes to Mr. Brown; I hope he's feeling better soon. And Hermione, please say hello for us to Ron and his family, and tell them we're thinking of them." Parvati and Padma hugged Hermione and Lucy, and took their leave.

"Do you want to be alone with Lavender, Mrs. Brown?" Hermione asked.

"No, dear, and please, do call me by my first name."

"Sorry, I'm not used to that; Mrs. Weasley recently told me the same thing, and old habits, well ..."

"Yes, I understand. Now, Hermione, I know that you've been Lavender's roommate, along with Parvati, since your first year at school, and she always said that you were the brightest student in the castle."

"Well, it was nice of her to say that, but I wouldn't exactly agree. I've always worked hard in school, but so has Lavender, and a lot of other people. I'm good at some subjects, but not all. And I've learned a lot from Lavender, especially in sixth year. I actually wasn't at school during seventh year."

"Yes, I heard something about that. Lavender has told me that you're good friends with Harry Potter, and Parvati says that you were away from school and working with him that year to defeat You-Know-Who."

Hermione nodded, not wishing to elaborate on the subject; now she looked at Lavender, who seemed to be murmuring something.

Lucy Brown looked down at her daughter, and said, "She does this from time to time, especially when people are speaking." Then, addressing Lavender, she said, "Mother's here, sweetheart. And Hermione is here too. We love you."

On hearing these words, Hermione began to sob. She held her handkerchief to her face as she cried. Between sobs, in a broken voice, she said, "I'm sorry to break down like this. But Lavender is the kindest, sweetest person I've ever known, and I'm so sorry that it took me as long as it did to get to know her. In sixth year we did finally become closer, and I began to really know her. And she helped us so much to prepare for everything that happened over the past year. She told me about her special ability, and she shared a lot of what she had seen with me. I just wish I'd been a better friend to her through the years."

Lucy Brown answered, in a soothing tone, "Don't worry about that, dear. We can't change the past. And we'll all be able to talk with her soon, and work these things out."

Hermione continued, "And I heard from Ginny Weasley, who was at Hogwarts last year with most of the others, that Lavender was one of the leaders of the resistance against those horrible people who were running the school."

"Yes, Parvati and Padma have told us about that. We're very proud of her. As for the earlier years, I think I understand better than anyone that Lavender isn't the easiest person to get to know. People tend to see what's on the outside; first impressions, you know."

"Mrs. Brown - Lucy - I don't wish to pry, if it's something you'd rather not talk about, but when Parvati left she said she hoped that Mr. Brown would be feeling better soon; is he alright?"

"Yes, he's fine, but he can only visit for for short periods. Seeing her this way is just too much for him."

"Too much?"

"Yes. Now Hermione, perhaps I should share a few things with you about our family, which may help you to understand Lavender better. Her father, Robert, had a very happy childhood. He had a sweet, loving family, and and he grew up with an open and trusting view of the world, which is one of the reasons I was attracted to him. But shortly after we were married, during the first war against You-Know-Who, a Death Eater came to his family's house and killed his parents and the rest of his family. He had two younger sisters, and a younger brother, and all of them were suddenly gone. We don't even know why they were targeted. It happened just a few months after our wedding, and it cast a horrible pall on us. A year later, when Lavender was born, I had hopes that he might find a way to be a little happier, but he never really found his way back, if you know what I mean. He loves her dearly, and he tries to be cheerful, but he can't seem to find a way out of his depression."

"Did you ever find out who did it?"

"Yes, it was that mad woman, Bellatrix Lestrange. It's one of the reasons that she was sent to Azkaban."

"I guess you've heard that she was killed during the battle at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, we've heard. Of course, it's a relief to know that she can never hurt anyone again, but really, there's no joy to be had in any of this."

"I agree; it's just a feeling of total exhaustion, and relief that it's over."

Lucy Brown nodded in agreement, and after a moment she continued: "So once Lavender was old enough to see that her father was never very happy, she began to look for ways to cheer him up, as any child would. She wrote little songs and stories for him, and she presented him with drawings, things like that."

"I've seen her drawings, Mrs. Brown. Sometimes, in the evening, at school, she would sit down with her colored markers and draw one of them, generally with a little dialogue based on something that had happened over the past few days, or problems that the girls were having with the boys they liked. She called them her 'doodles'. They had little cartoon figures, drawn in bright colors, generally with two people talking to each other, expressing their anxieties in a humorous way."

"Yes, those are the ones. I have a whole collection of them at home. When she was younger, the characters would just be saying silly things, or trying to cheer each other up, and she would present them to us, wrapped in colored envelopes and bows, mostly with hopes of cheering her father. But as she grew older, and became more understanding of people's problems, and their foibles, the doodles began to be more, well, incisive and ironic."

"Yes, I can remember several like that. They were humorous, but also quite revealing. And that's when I began to realize that Lavender wasn't always as cheerful as she appeared to be."

"Yes, Hermione, she has an old habit of hiding that part of herself. As you're all adults now, you and Parvati and Padma, and as you've been through so much yourselves, I feel comfortable sharing this with you. Also, it's also helpful for me to be able to talk about these things, if you don't mind hearing them."

"No, I want to understand Lavender better. And I'm very glad to listen."

"Thank you. Now, I'm sure you realize that nobody can fully explain or understand someone else's character or personality. Each of us lives our own inner drama. So you'll have to decide for yourself whether I'm oversimplifying or distorting these things, but I think you've begun to see how Lavender's child-like nature and exaggerated cheerfulness might be related to her old habit of trying to make her father happy.

"And as her mother, I know very well that it isn't the healthiest behavior, and I know that when someone acts that way, others may think less of them; and that, in turn, can hurt a great deal. I've always hoped that she would outgrow these things one day. Her father has improved through the years, but depression is a very heavy burden, and as you can see, it affects everyone in a family."

Hermione began to weep again as she said, "Yes, I think I see, and I'm so sorry that I didn't take her as seriously as I should have, when we were younger. She was stronger than most of us, and I see now how presumptuous and foolish I was to think otherwise."

"Please don't punish yourself, Hermione. I'm sure she's forgiven you for that."

"Thank you, Mrs. Brown. So how is Mr. Brown now?"

"Well, he was devastated by what happened to Lavender in the battle. but now that she's stable, and healing, he's been coming in with me to see her some days. He sits with us for a while, but not for very long."

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Brown. I hope I can meet him, and tell him how much Lavender has meant to me."

Now Lavender began to murmur again, but neither Mrs. Brown nor Hermione could make out what she was saying.

Mrs. Brown gently squeezed Lavender's hand, and said, "Mother's here, darling."

Hermione began to feel that she had stayed long enough, and she said, "Mrs. Brown - I mean Lucy - it's been very nice to meet you. I'll be leaving now, but I hope to see you again soon. And I hope your whole family will be feeling better soon. May I say goodbye to Lavender?"

"Yes, of course, dear."

Hermione rose and walked over to the bed. She bent down, and kissed her friend on the forehead. As she did so, she saw several gashes on the side of Lavender's neck, where Fenrir Greyback had bitten her. The skin had almost healed, but the marks were bright red, and surrounded by a pale, swollen area. Hermione whispered, "Bye, Lavender, be better soon. I love you, and I'll see you again tomorrow."

She stood up, and asked Mrs. Brown, "Is that the extent of her physical injuries?"

"Yes, those marks on her neck. The bandages came off only yesterday." And in a hushed tone she continued, "She was bitten by a werewolf, but thank God, he was in human form at the time."

"Yes, I heard about that. Someone told me that Professor Trelawney threw crystal balls at him, and drove him off."

"Yes, that's the way I heard it too. I must thank Sybill when I have a chance. She was always very kind to Lavender."

Hermione hugged Mrs. Brown, excused herself, returned to the lobby, walked out to the street, and apparated back to the Burrow.

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Over lunch, Hermione informed the others that Lavender was recovering, and should be able to receive company soon. Afterward, she told Ron that she wanted to speak with him, and asked him to take a walk with her. They left the Burrow and walked quietly for half an hour, as Hermione gathered her thoughts. Presently, they approached the top of the rocky hill that they often visited, where they seated themselves on an outcrop.

Hermione began: "Ron, I have something important to tell you, and it will probably make you very angry at me. And part of what I have to tell you is someone else's secret, which I'm not supposed to tell, but I don't see any other way around it. So before I start, I have to ask you to promise to keep this other person's secret, no matter how angry you get with me."

"Well, I know that you wouldn't be this mysterious about something trivial. So yes, you have my word."

"Thank you. Now, this is about Lavender. As you know, she's at St. Mungo's, very badly injured, though she does seem to be recovering ..."

Hermione then told Ron about Lavender's power of Divination, and repeated that this was to be kept absolutely secret. Ron was skeptical, but he agreed again to keep the secret. Hermione indicated that she had been skeptical herself, but that after considerable discussion with Lavender, and certain observations she had made subsequently, she had eventually accepted the fact of Lavender's ability.

"So why are you telling me this?" Ron asked.

"Well, here comes the part that will make you angry at me: Around the same time that Lavender was telling me about her ability, I also began to see that she is a much more serious person than most people think. Of course, she really does like things that are cute and colorful, but there's much more to her than what she generally shows. After she began to learn of her ability, and realized that she could see glimpses of the future, she had premonitions about you and me and Harry, and some of what we were going to do - what we later actually did - during the past year. Her visions weren't very specific, for the most part, but she was able to warn me about some of the things we'd be up against during the year, and it helped, though I couldn't tell you and Harry about it."

"And that's why you think I'll be angry?"

"No, I'm not there yet. Now Ron, do you remember how much you and I were fighting in sixth year?"

"Yes. I was a complete git. I wanted to be with you, but everything seemed to be working against it. And that prat, McClaggen, was hovering around you all the time."

"And you'd also heard that I had kissed Viktor Krum a couple of times, two years earlier?"

"Yes, that too," said Ron. "Look, I was really confused, and jealous, and childish. I'm sorry for the things I said and did that year, I really am, Hermione."

"I know that, Ron, and it's all forgiven and forgotten now. But I have a lot to apologize for as well."

"I don't see how you do. You never really were interested in McClaggen, were you? And even if you had been, I had no right to tell you what to do. I mean, it was all in my head, so I don't see why you have to apologize."

"I'm coming to it. One day, Lavender told me that she'd had visions of you and me and Harry on a quest together, far away from school, living in a tent, which of course is exactly what came to pass. She didn't know what it was about, but she sensed that there was dark magic involved, and that it would weigh on us in some manner, especially on you. And that also turned out to be true. That damned locket was just bursting with evil, and you had a family back home, and you didn't know what was happening to them."

Ron immediately realized where this was going: "And she saw me leaving you?"

Hermione nodded, but said nothing.

"Hermione, I can't tell if I could have resisted it. I've asked myself a thousand times whether I could have fought off that sensation of being doomed, and separated from my family, that feeling that they were being hunted down, and tortured, and killed, and that I should have been there to protect them. I knew it was awful to leave you, the instant I did it, but that feeling was crushing me. I've told you how sorry I am, and I'd say it again, every day forever, if I thought it could help. But I did what I did, and I can never change it. All I can do now is apologize."

"It's OK, Ron, I know you're sorry. And you did come back!"

"Yeah, I did, but that doesn't excuse it."

"I told you, it's OK. It was the locket, not you."

"But I still don't see where you did anything wrong, Hermione."

"Well, now we come to it: Lavender also had a glimmering of you and me together, as a couple, sometime in the future. She wasn't sure that it would happen, but it seemed that it might, perhaps with a little help. She could see that I wanted to be with you, despite all the tension between us at the time, and that you were conflicted about me. And one day we talked it over, and we thought that if we could help strengthen your feelings for me, then maybe, even if you did leave us, you'd eventually come back. I knew that I liked you, but I was angry at you too, and even with Lavender telling me all this, I couldn't really believe that you liked me. It all sounds crazy now, but that's what we were thinking. And you _did_ come back, and you and I _did_ finally get together, so that part of what she had seen _did_ turn out to be true."

"I'm not getting this, Hermione."

"Ron, Lavender threw herself at you during sixth year to help you appreciate me. All that lovey-dovey Won-Won stuff, for all those months, all that clinging and snogging, and the drawings with hearts all over them, and that gold chain at Christmas, it was all to help you see that there could be something better, with me. And I was pretending to be angry at her, all through that time. But we were in it together; we were manipulating you!"

Ron sat still now, stunned, staring straight ahead, trying to digest what Hermione had said.

Hermione was now crying freely as she said, "Go ahead, shout at me, Ron, tell me you never want to see me again! It was an idiotic, hare-brained scheme. We were trying to help you find a way to understand that you liked me, so you'd come back after you left me. It was about helping the mission succeed. I'm so sorry for what we did to you, but now at least you know."

Still, Ron said nothing.

Now, more quietly, Hermione continued, "Ron, I know you're angry. And you're fully justified in that. I'm going to go back to the house, pack my things, and leave. I betrayed your trust, and I'm ashamed and sorry for it, and for the pain that I caused you." She rose, and began to walk back to the Burrow, tears running down her cheeks, but finally Ron spoke: "Hermione, please stop."

Hermione stopped walking. She turned back towards Ron, and stood, several steps away, facing towards him, but looking downward.

Now Ron asked: "Lavender's behavior that year was all an act?"

"Yes. It was a scheme, to make you feel suffocated, to get you to see that there could be more to love than all of that neediness. And I pretended to be angry and jealous, and that was also an act. All I can say in our defense is that we weren't doing it just to get you and me together. Please at least believe that I would never play a trick like that just to get a boyfriend, and neither would Lavender. It was about getting you to come back to Harry and me, so we could destroy the Horcruxes. Though neither of us knew that it was about Horcruxes at the time; we just knew, from Lavender's visions, that you and I and Harry were going to be doing something important that year, and that the three of us had to stay together."

Ron stared distractedly towards the horizon, and said: "You know, it would be very easy for me to get angry at you right now. I would start by feeling indignant, for having been deceived and manipulated, and then I would feel justified to start shouting at you, and I'd get to feel self-righteous about letting it all out like that. I can actually picture myself doing all that. Except for two things."

"What two things?"

"Well, first of all, didn't I tell you the other day that one of the reasons I came back was to be with you again?"

"Yes. I was listening quite closely. You said it was a mix of your duty to complete the mission, and your friendship with Harry and me, and the fear that you'd thrown away your chance to be with me."

"So maybe you did the right thing. Maybe I wouldn't have come back, without that third reason. Maybe the other two wouldn't have been enough by themselves. I can't say for sure. In fact, it seems likely that I did need all three, because I can be a really selfish git sometimes, and I might not have had the strength, or motivation, to return for the sake of the mission alone. So if I believe that you were right to do all that, or that it's even possible that you were right, can I really be angry at you for it?"

Hermione smiled, and gently said, "Of course you can. You're not thinking rationally, Ron. It's quite possible for someone to realize that another person did the right thing, and still be angry at them. People do it all the time."

Ron smiled, nodded, and said, "Yes, I suppose they do, and maybe some day I'll take that path; it's an easy one, right? But not today."

"Why not?"

"Because of the second reason. Look, Hermione, I know I'm not the most sensitive person in the world. I think you once compared me to a teaspoon. But maybe, for a minute, I can share a real feeling with you. The simple truth is that I always liked Lavender. I mean, before that year. I liked you, and I liked her, and I couldn't sort it out, and I never did anything about it but feel confused, and try to focus on other things. Quidditch is a pretty good distraction when you're trying to get your mind off stuff like that.

"And it's completely weird, and pretty embarrassing to say this, but the way I see things, right this minute, is that your scheme did help to push her out of my mind, to shift the balance over to you, and you and I finally did get together, though it only took a while for us to realize that we weren't right for each other. And now, if you don't mind my saying all of this, it seems to me that I can start to think about Lavender again. Is that a horrible, fickle thing for me to say?"

Hermione walked up to Ron, put her arms around him, looked into his eyes, and said, "No, Ron, it's not horrible. In its own bizarre way, it's actually quite beautiful. We've fought a war, and it's finally over, and now we can start to think about finding some happiness. It took me too long to figure it out myself, but Lavender is a beautiful, sweet person, and she's incredibly strong, and smart, and brave. She's a gem, but she's spent most of her life hiding it. So if you want to get to know her better, and if she wants the same, and of course I mean the real Lavender this time around, how could I wish for anything but happiness for both of you?"

At this moment, Harry and Ginny topped the hill, walking hand in hand. Seeing Ron and Hermione embracing, they looked at each other for a moment, and smiled. As they approached, Ginny said, "So are you guys reconsidering your separation?"

"No," said Hermione, as she continued to look into Ron's eyes, "we're reaffirming it."

"And do you realize that a casual observer might be inclined to think otherwise?" asked Harry.

"Yeah," said Ron, "I can see how someone could get that impression. Especially if we kissed right now," and he and Hermione drew close, and kissed warmly.

Now Ginny and Harry were completely confused, but Hermione and Ron soon disentangled themselves, both of them smiling mysteriously, and Hermione said, "Ron just forgave me for something awful I did. So a hug and kiss just kind of seemed appropriate."

"That is really inspiring," said Harry, and he and Ginny embraced and kissed.

On the walk back to the Burrow, Ron and Hermione didn't explain very much. They simply said that they had straightened out some old business, and that it was way too complicated for anyone else to understand. Harry and Ginny remained mystified, but as no further explanation was forthcoming, they accepted it.


	10. Chelsea Morning

Chelsea Morning (Joni Mitchell, ca. 1970) v=bDaknZlZwc0

This is a lovely version of the song, recorded live at the BBC. If you let it continue to roll a few seconds past the end of the song, you'll catch a nice little laugh. Thank you, Saskatchewan!

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As Molly Weasley had indicated, friends and relatives soon began to visit and try to comfort the family. By osmosis, it seemed, the entire Wizarding community understood the proper etiquette for visits to grieving families: arrive around mid-morning or mid-afternoon; bring flowers or something to eat (a cake, or cookies, or fruit); if invited, take tea with the family; listen more than you speak; do not accept an invitation to stay for a meal unless you are a relative or a very close friend; and if you are not one of those who should stay for a meal, depart in less than an hour.

One of the first to visit the Weasleys was their neighbor, Luna. She shared her condolences with the family; and afterwards, in the garden, she spoke privately with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She told them how ashamed and sorry her father was for having summoned Death Eaters when they had visited him to ask for information. All three felt in their hearts that he had done a great wrong, but they tried to understand the desperation he had felt at the time, with his daughter held prisoner by Voldemort's allies. And amidst all the pain and hostility in the world, they felt that this was something they could let go, if only for Luna's sake. They told her that they forgave her father, and that they would visit one day soon. Amidst tears of relief, Luna hugged and thanked each of them, and departed for home.

Early that afternoon, Hermione was preparing to visit Lavender, when Professor McGonagall unexpectedly arrived at the house. Over tea with the family, she shared her memories of Fred, and spoke of her great fondness for him. He'd been a sweet boy, she said, and brilliant in Transfiguration, this being one of the keys to his and George's business success. She didn't feel it necessary to mention what a rascal he had been, but the conversation soon drifted in that direction anyway. Everyone had memories of Fred's practical jokes, and George even felt moved to recall a few of their more colorful exploits at Hogwarts, and to provide details of certain activities that had led to detentions, and others for which the young perpetrators had escaped undetected. Professor McGonagall listened equably to these reminiscences, while privately resolving to make a few adjustments to the rules and practices at the school before the next term began.

Now that they were discussing Hogwarts, the family had questions for the new Headmistress. Professor McGonagall indicated that repairs were proceeding throughout the castle and grounds, and that she was determined that the school would reopen in September, even while much of the castle remained a construction zone. Furthermore, she observed, reopening the school on schedule would be an important step toward the restoration of normalcy in the Wizarding community. She indicated, in fact, that she expected to see an increase in enrollment. Many students had stayed away during the previous year, some of them in hiding with their parents, and others, such as those who were Muggle-born, or couldn't prove their Wizarding ancestry, because they had been forbidden to return. In any case, very little in the way of education had taken place during the year, so a considerable amount of remedial work would be required for all, even those who had been at school.

"Since every student has effectively missed a year," she explained, "we will have our usual new class of first-years, plus the seven cohorts above them, all of whom are now one year behind in their studies. And I expect the situation to persist for the next several years, until we've caught up. But we are determined to make this work, and I have received a firm commitment from the Ministry that we will have whatever resources we require." She then continued, rather tartly: "And if anyone in the Ministry has difficulty recalling that the final battle against Voldemort took place at Hogwarts, and that our dear children bore the brunt of the fighting, I shall not hesitate to remind them."

The professor now turned to Molly Weasley, and asked if she could speak privately with Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione. She then retired to the kitchen with them, and said, "It is up to each of you to decide what you will do this Fall. All four of you have performed great service to the school, and to the Wizarding world. I understand that after the momentous events of the past year, it may seem rather anticlimactic to go back to school, but we will need well-educated young adults as we rebuild during in the coming years, and I hope that each of you will choose to return."

On hearing this, Ron and Harry looked at each other doubtfully, as the professor continued, "Now, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter, please consider this matter, and kindly inform me of your intentions by the end of July, so that we can plan accordingly."

They agreed to do so, and the Professor said that she would like to speak a bit further with Ginny and Hermione, but as the boys prepared to leave the room she mentioned one more point: "Gentlemen, I have conferred with the rest of the staff, and we are in agreement that eighth-year students should not be eligible to play on House Quidditch teams. It would be unfair to the younger students to have to compete against players of your age. However, eighth-years will be allowed to form club teams, and compete among themselves. And in order to have sufficient numbers of players, you may also recruit sixth- and seventh-year students who are not playing on House teams."

Ron and Harry's initial reaction to this news was dismay at being excluded from the Gryffindor team, but before another minute had passed they were discussing plans for a club team.

As the boys left the room, Professor McGonagall turned to Ginny, and said, "Miss Weasley, you will, in effect, be a sixth year student this year, although you are of age to be a seventh. You showed great leadership during the past year, in the resistance to those miscreants who were running the school, and I would like you to be Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team this year."

"Thank you, Professor; I would be thrilled to do that."

"And in this leadership role, I ask two additional things of you: First, may I count on you to organize the Gryffindor Ladies' poker nights, as our Quidditch players always have done?"

"Oh, Professor, I didn't realize that you knew about those poke nights!"

"Miss Weasley, I was a member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team during my own student days, and in those bygone times I was proud to assist in organizing poker games. Some of the girls may think of them as purely recreational, but they serve an invaluable purpose, particularly for the younger girls. Although I do not speak of those games publicly, I am quite pleased to see that the tradition has continued."

"I'm glad to hear that, Professor, and yes, I'll be honored to organize them this year."

"Thank you. And my second request to you," and here the professor paused for a moment, as a faint smile appeared on her face, "is that the 'Bad-Ass Witches' will fade quietly into obscurity."

Hermione and Ginny broke into embarrassed laughter to hear these words spoken by Professor McGonagall. After a moment, she continued, "That group, and others like it, were very helpful during the past year, but now we need to re-establish a proper academic environment. _No disruptions_ , please," she concluded, knowing that her words would be recognized as those of the late Headmaster Snape.

"Yes, I mean No, Professor; no disruptions!"

"Thank you, Miss Weasley. I will be looking forward to seeing you this Fall. And now, if I may, I would like to speak privately with Miss Granger."

Ginny left the room, and Professor McGonagall turned to Hermione. Before speaking, the professor looked at Hermione for a few moments, as she recalled certain events from past years, and then she spoke: "My dear Hermione, you have been a treasure to have at our school. Before I ask what plans you may have, I shall state my situation. You have consistently taken extra classes, and you have excelled in every area, with the solitary exception of Divination. That, however, is not a required course in our curriculum. Consequently, you completed the seven-year Hogwarts curriculum in the six years that you attended, and I have a diploma for you with me today."

Professor McGonagall reached into her bag and produced a rolled parchment, which she handed to Hermione. With a slight bow, she continued: "Miss Hermione Jean Granger, in my capacity as Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I salute you as a graduate of our school, with highest distinction."

Hermione beamed, and said, "Thank you, Professor. I'm really quite moved. So I suppose you're saying that I shouldn't return to school this Fall?"

"Quite the contrary, Miss Granger. I am offering you a position on the faculty!"

Hermione was shocked to hear this, and incautiously she blurted out, "Do you really mean it?"

"Do you really doubt me, Miss Granger?"

"No, Professor; I'm sorry, I spoke without thinking."

"Well," said the professor, with a slight smile, "as that is something you rarely do, I will allow it to pass."

"Thank you," said Hermione, and she continued, warmly: "I really am amazed, and honored; stunned, in fact. It's been a dream of mine to teach at Hogwarts some day. But I must tell you that I have some projects in mind that will take longer than the rest of the summer to complete. Things I feel I must do before I start a career."

"Suppose I were to extend the offer until the following September; would that help?"

"Yes, I'm sure I'll be ready by then. Thank you so much, Professor."

"Miss Granger - Hermione - I will not be coy about this. You are the most talented young witch we have seen at Hogwarts in many a year, and although I am pleased to hear your thanks for this invitation to serve our school, I must be equally clear that we would be honored to have you on the staff. We expect great things of you, as a Magical scholar, and we will gladly wait another year for you to join us."

Hermione wiped away a tear as she said, "Thank you, Professor; you're very kind."

Professor McGonagall smiled, and continued: "As you are no longer a student of mine, I feel free to speak more openly to you than in past years. Miss Granger, throughout your years at Hogwarts you have contributed immeasurably to the honor and dignity of our fine old institution, and we shall never forget your scholarship and your service to the school. Also," she added, with a hint of a smile, "I hesitate to imagine what sort of behavior we might have seen from Potter and Weasley during those years, if not for your steadying influence."

Hermione couldn't help but smile at this remark, which Professor McGonagall clearly had intended to be partially humorous, but she also reflected to herself on the many ways that Harry and Ron had helped her. Yes, of course, she knew that she had been the steadier one of the three, but would she have come quite so far out of her own shell, absent their more roguish influence through the years? It seemed unlikely.

After Professor McGonagall departed, Hermione returned to the group, and gave them a brief report of her discussion, though she did not mention the offer of a teaching position; that was something she wanted to consider on her own for a while. Everyone congratulated her on the news of her graduation.

It was now mid-afternoon, and Hermione said that she wanted to pay a visit to Lavender before supper. She departed a few minutes later. After arriving at St. Mungo's she headed to Lavender's room, where she found Parvati sitting beside the bed, as Lavender slept.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes; her parents were here until a little while ago. Lavender started mumbling in her sleep, and she sounded fearful, and in pain. She was saying things like, 'No, don't hit me!' I think she was dreaming of being punished last year at school. Her father couldn't handle it, and her mum rushed home with him."

"That's awful! Why don't the Healers just wake her up? Mrs. Brown told me they could."

"Oh, there's something about how people are better off if they're allowed to come out of these things on their own. And keep in mind that even after she awakens, she'll still be recovering, and she'll need to sleep a lot, so I'm not so sure that it would be any better that way."

"Well, maybe not ... "

"So Hermione, how are the Weasleys getting along? Padma and I are thinking of visiting. We don't know their parents, but of course we know Ron and Ginny and George and Percy."

"You definitely should come by. I know they'd like to see you. These visits are helping them to move on, and they can also see that Fred is remembered by others. Luna visited earlier today, and everybody was glad to see her."

"Then we'll do it."

After a moment, Hermione said, "Parvi, there's something I want to ask you, but not here in the room. Would you like to have tea sometime?"

"Yes, let's do that."

A few minutes later, Mrs. Brown returned. She was pleased to see Parvati and Hermione sitting with Lavender, and after greeting them she indicated that Mr. Brown was at home now, and was no longer as agitated as he'd been when Lavender was crying out in her sleep."

"Mrs. Brown, I mean Lucy, I'm so sorry about what you're going through."

"Thank you, Hermione; it isn't easy, of course, but I know it will be better when Lavender and her father can talk again. Anyway, that thought helps me to get by."

A while later, Parvati and Hermione took their leave, and as they walked toward the building entrance they decided that this was a good time for the tea they'd planned. Once out on the London streets, they located a cafe, seated themselves in a quiet corner, and ordered tea. After they'd been served, Parvati complained a bit to Hermione, in a good-natured way, about how difficult it was to understand Muggle money: "Why is everything denominated in powers of ten? Where did they get this strange fixation with the decimal system? It is so weird!"

Hermione smiled, as she recalled her own initial confusion with galleons, sickles, and knuts, after having grown up with pounds and pence.

And now Parvati looked expectantly at Hermione, and asked, "So was there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes. One of these days, after Lavender has awakened, I'd like to bring Ron and Harry and Ginny in to see her, but I'm not sure how that would go. I mean, after that crazy year when she went after Ron, I don't know how any of them will react, including Lavender."

"Well, Ginny and Lavender will get along swimmingly, as they did all last year. But you and Ron are an item now, right? Just like Ginny and Harry?"

"Actually ... no. Ginny and Harry are totally together, but Ron and I have broken up."

Parvati flinched in surprise, and nearly knocked over her tea. "I'm sorry, but you need to back up a bit. Please tell me what's going on."

"Well, as you know, Ron and I suddenly found each other during the battle, after years of never quite getting around to it. Ginny and Harry had connected much earlier, but they'd kept it a secret, so Voldemort's people wouldn't use her to get at him. Once the battle was over," and now Hermione cleared her throat a bit comically, "let's just say that the flame was re-ignited."

Both girls smiled, and Hermione continued, now more seriously: "Actually, they're a sweet couple, and I'm very happy for them. But Ron and I are a different story. After all the work that poor Lavender did that year, the two of us never did connect until the night of the battle. And for that single moment it was exactly as Lavender had foreseen, but what she hadn't seen was that it would last only a week. After the battle, we went back to the Weasleys' home, Harry and I and the family, and over the next several days, Ron and I gradually realized that we weren't right together. So it was years of anticipation, a few days of total gaa-gaa, and then it was over."

"Was this a mutual decision, Hermione, or did one of you tell the other that it wasn't the thing for them?"

"Mutual. We just both decided that it didn't feel right."

"No fight?"

"None at all." And with a bit of an embarrassed smile, Hermione added, "I guess it's not supposed to happen that way, is it? Does someone always have to be hurt?"

"No, not always," replied Parvati, now also smiling, "only around ninety-nine percent of the time. Oops, now I'm using the decimal system!"

As both of them laughed, Parvati picked up the teapot and divided the remaining contents between their two cups. Then she spoke again: "OK, I just want to be absolutely clear about this: No tears, no anger, you two just shook hands and decided that you weren't right for each other?"

"Well, to be strictly honest, I did cry afterwards, up in Ginny's room, when we talked about it, but it was just the emotion draining out of me. I mean, the battle, the Weasleys in mourning for Fred, and then this relationship going from zero to eleven, and right back down to zero. As you must know, Parvi, that's the only romantic relationship I've ever had, unless you count a couple of kisses with Viktor Krum. So I'm still a bit befuddled."

"Did you say 'zero to eleven?'"

"It's a Muggle thing; kind of a joke about the decimal system. I'll explain it someday."

"I guess you'll have to. I've finally figured out how important ten is, and now you're throwing eleven at me. But look, Hermione, I have to ask you one more question: Are you quite sure that it's over? I mean, it's not going to flare up again some evening, when one of you is feeling lonely?"

Hermione shrugged, and answered, "I don't think so. It feels pretty final."

"So that's it? That's what you wanted to tell me?"

"No; that's just the first part. What I want you to know is that I took a long walk with Ron, earlier today, and I told him about our whole scheme during sixth year, how we manipulated him. I just had to come clean. And I didn't care at all about how angry he might get. I just felt that he had to know the truth."

"And how did he take it?"

"Well, first of all, and rather surprisingly for me, he said that he wasn't angry, because he had come to realize that he actually might not have returned to Harry and me, except for that fear that he'd lost me. So he seemed to confirm that our scheme had worked."

"But Hermione, the whole scheme was based on the fact that Lavender had seen the future ..."

"Yes, and I told him about that. I broke my promise to Lavender. I swore him to secrecy, and then I told him about her special ability. I'm going to apologize to Lavender for that, but I just felt that I had to confess what we'd done, and I couldn't see how to do it without telling him that part."

Parvati leaned back, and looked up toward a painting on the wall, which depicted three people in a garden, none of them looking at either of the others. After a moment she said, "What a strange world we live in ..."

Hermione could almost see wheels turning in Parvati's mind, and rather than prompt her to speak, she waited quietly. Finally, Hermione asked, "More tea?" Parvati nodded absently, and Hermione ordered another pot of tea, and a scone for them to share.

Finally, Parvati seemed to have thought through a problem, and she spoke: "So after what you've just explained, including telling Ron about Lavender's special gift, I guess you won't be upset if I tell you a secret?"

"Well, if you think you should ...," Hermione replied. The waiter came by with the tea and scone, and Hermione thanked him, then poured the tea and cut the scone in half, while Parvati continued to muse.

"I'll keep it short," said Parvati. "Hermione, I think we've come to the point where I should tell you something that I never intended to: Lavender really did like Ron, all along, and I don't just mean 'like'".

Now it was Hermione's turn to react. She abruptly lowered her teacup into the saucer, hitting it harder than she'd expected to. A few other patrons glanced over on hearing the sharp noise, and in a hurried whisper Hermione said, "But she was doing everything she could to drive him away! How could she have done all that if she really did like him?"

"Remember, it was about defeating Voldemort. And she had had visions of you and Ron together, though she didn't know that it would last for only a week. So she figured that it was never going to happen for her. At least that's the way she explained it to me. Anyway, she did what she thought was right, and I guess she was thinking that if you knew how she really felt about Ron, the whole plot might fall apart somehow. I mean, not that you would tell him, but maybe that she wouldn't be able to sustain the act. I can't really be sure about everything she was thinking, but when she told me how she really felt about Ron, she was very clear on the point that I was not to tell you."

"Parvati, I need to get back to the Weasleys' house pretty soon. But I must say that I'm shocked, because this changes everything about what Lavender did. It's just so much more tragic. But I'm also thinking that there may be a happy ending to this whole mess: After I told Ron about the whole scheme, he informed me that he'd always liked Lavender."

"Liked?"

"Yes, the same as what you said about her; romantically. He told me that before sixth year, he sometimes thought that he liked me, and other times he thought he liked Lavender. That seems to be why - or at least part of why - he never found a way to tell either of us. Then Lavender made her move, when he was really angry at me, and everything seemed to have been decided for him. So we did succeed in convincing him that Lavender wasn't right for him, and eventually he found his way to me, just as we'd intended. But now that he and I have realized that we don't belong together, and he's just learned that the Lavender who was so unsuitable for him was just an act. I guess we don't know how she feels about him now, but I can't see any reason to prevent Ron from visiting her."

"I agree; it would be nice for him to come by to see her, but I don't think we should tell either of them that we know how the other one feels, or how they used to feel."

"I'm with you on that, Parvati. This seems like the perfect time for us to stop trying to work things out for other people. As far as I'm concerned, they're just friends from school, and fellow survivors of the war, and it's up to them to figure out how they feel about each other now, just as in any other relationship."

"Yes, it's time for us to just back away. But as I said earlier, what a nutty world we live in ... "

0-0-0

The next morning, Hermione arrived at St. Mungo's with Ron, Harry, and Ginny. All of them wanted to see Lavender, and they hoped they might find her awake, but still she was sleeping. Lucy Brown was sitting in her usual place beside the bed, and Hermione made introductions all around.

"Now let me get this straight," said Mrs. Brown. "All of you are Gryffindors, and you were all in Lavender's year, except you, Ginny?"

"Yes, I'm in the next year below."

After some discussion of who had been where during the past year, Mrs. Brown broached a difficult subject: "While Lavender is still asleep, and Mr. Brown is at home, I have a chance to tell you, Ron and Ginny, that there's something I'd like you to know, though it's rather a morbid point. I have heard that your mother fought Bellatrix Lestrange during the battle, and uh, eliminated her. And I want you to know that Bellatrix was the person who killed Lavender's father's family, back before any of you were born. It's not the kind of thing that we thank people for, just something to tuck away and remember, but I want to acknowledge this point."

"Mrs. Brown," said Ginny, "I'm glad that you told us, but just so you'll know, if you ever meet our parents, please don't mention this to our mother, because she refuses to hear anyone speak of it. She was in shock afterward, and she would rather forget that it ever happened." Now Ginny lowered her voice, and added, "That woman attacked me, and my Mum just reacted. And we lost our brother Fred that night too. So this is something that she won't talk about."

"I can understand why your mother would feel that way, Ginny, and I will treat the matter as closed. But I will observe how often we find our lives to be affected by the oddest chances and circumstances. Lavender's life was saved that night, as I understand it, by Sybill Trelawney, who drove that werewolf away, by throwing crystal balls at him, if you can believe it. And she is almost the last person I would expect to have been capable of doing such a thing, but I suppose that in the heat of the moment, people sometimes act in ways that they never could have imagined."

Hearing Mrs. Brown describe the events of that night this way, Ron and Harry both looked over to Hermione, who stared back at each of them with an expression that said, "Don't say a word!" And they didn't.

Hermione now changed the subject, and asked if there had been any change in Lavender's condition.

"Yes, dear. The poisons have all been counteracted and burned off, and she's been murmuring a bit more than before, and sometimes moving her head and hands a bit. They say it will be another day or so until she wakes."

"I'm so glad to hear that. Her color looks better, and I can see that the swelling around her wounds has gone down."

"Yes, things do look better. Now, I believe I need to head home for a bit, to see Mr. Brown. I'll be back in an hour or so. I'm very glad to have met all of you."

The others wished her goodbye, and Mrs. Brown departed. Hermione now moved to the chair beside Lavender's bed. She took Lavender's hand in hers, and spoke to her, as Ron, Harry, and Ginny settled into chairs around the room. Looking up at one point, Hermione noticed that Ron appeared to be deeply distressed. He had his hand to his chin, and was looking intently at Lavender. Hermione spoke to him: "She'll be alright, Ron; you heard, she's going to be up and about in a day or two."

After a while, Hermione asked Ginny if she would like to take the seat beside the bed. Ginny came over, sat where Hermione had been sitting, and took Lavender's hand. Though she retained her composure, Ginny's eyes were moist, and she dabbed them from time to time with her handkerchief as she spoke with the others, and occasionally addressed Lavender.

A few minutes later, Ginny asked Ron if he would like to take her place, and he walked over and awkwardly took Lavender's hand in his. As he sat, holding Lavender's hand, and looking intently at her, the conversation in the room continued for a while, but Ron seemed distant; he was focused exclusively on Lavender, watching her steady breathing.

The conversation soon died down entirely. All four of the visitors were quiet, lost in their own thoughts, and at this point Cormac McClaggen suddenly strode into the room. Seeing the others, he stopped abruptly, and in a reproachful tone he asked, "What are all of you doing here?"

"We happen to be her friends!" Ron replied.

At this point, possibly in response to the raised voices, Lavender began to mumble in her sleep. Her words were indistinct, and the others all turned to her and listened closely. She continued speaking, at first unintelligibly, and then more clearly: "Ron ... Ronny ... Ron ..." And then she was quiet again.

Cormac looked at the each of the others in the room, and without another word he turned and stalked out.

Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny looked around at each other in puzzlement. Each of them had a sense of déjà vu, as though they had just re-enacted a familiar scene from a play or movie they'd all seen, but none of them could quite place it.

Ron, still holding Lavender's hand, noticed that Hermione, Ginny, and Harry were all looking at him and smiling. He looked down, sheepishly, and although nobody had spoken a word, he muttered, "Shut up, all of you," but he was smiling too.

After a while, Ginny asked Harry if he would like to take Ron's place beside the bed, and he did so. And Harry was sitting there, holding Lavender's hand, when Mrs. Brown returned.

0-0-0

Lavender awakened the next morning, with her mother sitting beside her. They talked of the battle, of the destruction of "You Know Who," as Mrs. Brown put it, and of the joy and relief that was now felt throughout the Wizarding community, though tempered by sorrow for those who had been lost or injured. Lavender's mother also told her of the friends who had visited her during her long sleep. "It's been nearly three weeks, sweetheart, and it's been hard on your father, but I'll bring him by to see you soon, after you've had a chance to freshen up."

Lavender looked around the room, which was filled with vases of flowers, and baskets of fruit, and lighted by the morning sun streaming in. With a smile, she said, "I feel fine, Mum. I'm going to get up, and walk all the way over to the other side of the room!" Her legs were unsteady, but she made it to the far side of the room, and all the way back, with only minimal assistance from her mother. She returned to the bed, and sat now, bolstered by pillows.

"May I eat?" she asked the Healer who had come in to check on her.

"Yes, absolutely. What would you like?"

"How about toast and honey, and a glass of milk? And please, one those oranges from the fruit basket!" And it was done.


	11. Let's Call the Whole Thing Off

Let's Call the Whole Thing Off (Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, 1937): v=LOILZ_D3aRg

The song is just a silly little ditty, but check out the dancing, er skating!

0-0-0-0-0

That afternoon, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Harry visited St. Mungo's to see Lavender again. They were overjoyed to find her awake and alert. Although she was physically fatigued, Lavender was sitting up, smiling, and pleased to have company. Mrs. Brown was sitting in her usual place beside the bed, and Padma and Parvati also were in the room, as was Mr. Brown. He was a tall, physically robust man, but Hermione sensed a deep sadness and resignation in his demeanor, and she found herself considering how much the burdens of one person can affect the lives of those around them. What sort of personality might Lavender have developed if she hadn't grown up in the shadow of her father's constant sadness? Hermione also recalled, once again, how casually she had dismissed Lavender's overtly exuberant nature as evidence of immaturity. First impressions can be deceiving; and second and third impressions too, for that matter.

Introductions were made all around, and each of the visitors, in turn, hugged and kissed Lavender, and told her how relieved they were to see her awake and recovering. Nobody was ashamed to be seen wiping tears from his or her eyes.

Hermione found a seat beside Mr. Brown, and quietly told him what a wonderful and inspiring friend Lavender was. As she was speaking with him, a Healer walked by in the hall, and seeing eight visitors in the room, he said that at least four of them would have to leave. Mr. and Mrs. Brown, and the Patil sisters, insisted on leaving for a while, so that Lavender could spend some time with those who had just arrived.

As they departed, Hermione followed Parvati into the hall, and asked her if she had told Lavender anything about their recent discussion over tea. "Not a thing," said Parvati. "You and I agreed that the time has come for Lav and Ron to navigate on their own, right?" Hermione smiled and nodded, and soon she was back in the room, happily speaking with Lavender, along with Harry, Ron, and Ginny.

In consideration of Lavender's weakened state, Parvati and Padma had not told her very much about the losses sustained during the battle. Now, however, Lavender insisted on being brought up to date. She wept on hearing of the deaths of Fred Weasley, Colin Creevey, Professors Snape and Lupin, and so many others. "I always felt that Professor Snape was a good person," she said. "Deeply conflicted, of course, but essentially good, even during that awful year when he was Headmaster. His behavior always seemed a bit artificial, and I often thought that he was playing a double game. And I began to feel certain about it when Ginny and some of the others were caught trying to steal the Sword of Gryffindor from his office, and their punishment was merely to be sent into the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid."

Lavender turned to Ginny as she continued: "As I recall, you returned a couple of hours later, no worse for the experience."

"Quite the opposite," Ginny replied. "We had fun in there. Hagrid showed us some unicorns, and some other forest creatures, and it was such a relief just to be out of the castle for a while."

At this point, Hermione abruptly announced that she would like to have a cup of tea, and she asked Harry and Ginny to join her, as there was something important that she needed to discuss with them. It was obvious to everyone present that her real objective was to leave Ron and Lavender together for a while, and although some members of the party resisted, Hermione eventually prevailed.

With the others now absent, it was suddenly quiet in the room. Ron and Lavender looked at each other for a moment, and both of them smiled. Lavender asked, "Is there something going on that I should know about?"

Ron replied, "Hermione didn't tell me that she was going to leave us alone, but I think I know what's on her mind. She and I took a walk the other day, and she told me about the hoax that you all played on me in sixth year."

Lavender nodded, and said, "I thought she would get around to telling you about that sometime, and I agree, it's best that you know. Ron, I'm really sorry for the pain and embarrassment that we caused you. And I hope you weren't too angry with Hermione when she told you about it. It was really my fault, much more than hers ..."

Ron didn't answer right away. He looked at Lavender for a few moments, and then spoke: "Actually, I wasn't angry at all. She was expecting me to be, and she waited until we were far away from the house before telling me. For a minute or two, as it was all sinking in, I did think that I was going to be angry, but it kind of struck me that I didn't mind, and that got me wondering why. I don't need to go through the whole story now, but part of it was that I know I was pretty awful that year. When I considered that, I began to think that what you did wasn't such a bad thing."

Lavender thought for a minute, and then replied, "Look, Ron, I had mixed feelings about it then, and I still do. But at the time, taking everything into consideration, I felt that it was the right thing to do. You and Hermione were fighting like Hippogriffs and Acromantulas, and it was awful to see you carrying on that way. I knew you were both good people, and that you were good friends down deep, but for some reason you couldn't work things out. And I also saw how Harry was trapped in the middle. The three of you had always been such a good team, and you'd done so much together through the years. I don't know if you believe in fate, or predestination, or things like that, but it just seemed to me that the three of you had bigger challenges still to come, and that you had to find a way to start working together again. But I also knew that we were being manipulative. And of course, I also felt ridiculous about all that gooey, sticky-sweet behavior, and the constant clinging, and the fake laughter. I hope you realize now that it wasn't the real me."

"Yeah, I've figured that much out. And a few of Ginny's stories about what you did during the past year also helped me to see that. I like the way you made trouble for those lowlifes who were running the school. And I like the name of your little team of witches. And I especially like the attitude. But I'm still trying to figure out exactly who the real you is - I mean _are_. You know, Lavender, now that it's all behind us, I feel like we should just try to forget that whole episode."

"Yes, I agree," said Lavender, and with a smile she continued: "'In such cases as these, a good memory is unpardonable.'"

Ron asked, "Is that a line from something?"

"Jane Austen."

Ron rolled his eyes in mock disapproval, but said, "Actually, it's pretty funny."

"Yes, she can be quite humorous, in her quiet little way. But more important, she's very good at showing how petty and mean certain people can be. And also how even the very best people can sometimes be shortsighted and foolish, and create a lot of trouble for themselves and others. But she usually provides a happy ending."

"Well, as for happy endings, I should tell you that Hermione and I did finally get together, as a couple, during the battle. But we've already broken up."

"That's too bad, Ron; I always thought you two would be happy together."

"So did I. For a very long time. We had our ups and downs during the years, but I thought it would work out some day. I don't even want you to know about some of the awful things I did last year, when we were traveling together. But during the battle, Hermione and I did finally connect. And then, after we all went back to my house, it just kind of faded away. We were both surprised by that. But it's been a few weeks now, and we're fine again. You know, just friends.

"But I want to tell you something else, Lav, just for the record, so you'll know. Before sixth year, before I was fighting with Hermione, and before the two of you were running your little scheme on me, I actually liked you. You know, really liked you. I was pretty conflicted, because I had feelings for both you and Hermione, and I didn't know how to sort them out. Then I thought it was all settled during sixth year, because I disliked that time with you so much. But if that wasn't the real you, well, I guess I don't actually know how the two of us might get along, do I?"

"Ron, I hope you're not teasing me. I know who I am, and you do too. Even though I exaggerated my behavior that year, we both know that I've always been the silliest person in the school."

Ron smiled now, and said, "I'm not teasing you, Lavender. And as for silliness, that's not how it ever looked to me. It always seemed more like a breath of fresh air. Before sixth year, I always saw you as someone who knew how to laugh, who could take a joke, and give it back just as good. And I remember times when you found little ways to make people feel better, when you saw that they had problems, like when they were homesick, or afraid, or just unhappy for some reason. You always seemed to know when people needed some cheering up, and how to help them a bit. You know, a little gift, or a joke, or one of those cartoon doodles that you used to draw, the ones with two people talking to each other.

"And then, when the truth came out about you and McClaggen, when we heard that you'd shoved him away when he went after you, and that you'd told him to leave you alone, I was really pleased, and not just because I don't like him. I realized that you could be tough when you needed to be, that you could take care of yourself, but you didn't have to advertise. I like that in a person.

"And this is not going to sound like me, but I've always liked the way you dressed. What do people call that, a personal style? You know, like that blue and yellow sweater you used to wear, and that fuzzy purple hat, and those bows you tie on the ends of your braids. Playful, you know? You always dressed the way you liked, instead of the way someone else thought was proper. And keep in mind that I never notice what anyone is wearing, but I always noticed you.

"I remember one time, in Hogsmeade, when I was sitting there at the Three Broomsticks with Harry and Hermione. We were always worried about something, and that day was no different, and in the midst of it I remember looking up and seeing you, a few tables away, laughing about something with Parvati and Padma, and, well ..."

"Yes?"

"I just liked the way you laughed, Lavender, and I remember thinking, 'I want to be at her table.'"

"Ron, that's very sweet of you to say. But look, you've said a lot, so let me tell you something now: I've never thought of it in quite those terms, but that's a nice way to describe it. And I'll just say this straight out: I'd like to be at your table.

"The truth is, I liked you too, for a long time, but you were always caught up in some life-or-death situation with Harry and Hermione, and it just seemed wrong for me to disturb you. Big things were going on, and you three were part of it all, you always seemed to have a job to do. Sixth year was the exception, when I barged into your life, but it was for the same reason; you three were doing important things, and I wanted you to stick together."

Ron nodded, and said, "Yeah, that was our life for all those years. But now it's over, isn't it? So maybe the time has come for us to, you know, try sitting at the same table, and see how things work out?"

"Yes, Ron, I'd really like to do that. But do you know what I'd like to do first? To clear the air, and start everything over?"

"No, what?"

"I'd like to kiss you, Ron, the way I always wanted to, and maybe drive away the memories of those other times ..."

Ron smiled, and said, "And will I be able to tell the difference?"

"There's only one way to find out. And I think a good rule is that less is more."

Ron walked over and sat on the bed, facing Lavender. He looked into her eyes, and said, "So it's going to be the real thing this time? A real kiss, from the real Lavender Brown?" Lavender nodded. They closed their eyes, and moved slowly towards each other, until their lips barely touched. And then they moved a tiny bit closer, and kissed for several seconds. As they drew apart, and opened their eyes, they smiled.

Ron said, "Well, it goes against my instincts, but I have to agree: less is more. That was a lot nicer than any of the thousand or so that came before it."

"And you know something, Ronny," said Lavender, thoughtfully, "it seems to me that with sufficient practice, we might even improve our technique."

Now they heard the voices of the others coming down the hall, and Ron quickly rose and returned to one of the chairs in the room. Lavender shook her head and said, "Scaredy cat!" as Ron blushed.

The other three entered, and Ginny and Harry were suppressing smiles as they looked from Ron to Lavender and back again, as though they were now partners to a secret.

After some friendly talk, Hermione asked Lavender if she could visit again, early the next day. Lavender agreed, and soon the four visitors were on their way out, with warm good-byes all around. The last to speak was Lavender, who called out, "Bye, Won-Won!" to general laughter.

As they walked down the hall, Ginny turned to Ron and said, "Just a word of advice, Won-Won: You need to be very careful around Bad-Ass Witches; they know how to take care of themselves." Harry and Hermione broke into laughter.

Ginny expected Ron to be irritated, at least a little bit, but he surprised her by smiling, and answering, "Yes, Gin, I'm well aware of the risks. But for some strange reason, I feel like I need a bit more of that kind of danger in my life." The whole group laughed again as they stepped onto the lift.


	12. Mr Tambourine Man

Mr. Tambourine Man (Bob Dylan, released in 1965; here's a nice live performance from a year earlier, at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival): v=OeP4FFr88SQ

There's also the 1965 cover by the Byrds (their first single, by the way; v=ShgRJqdaTrI); the vocals and instrumentation are quite striking, but why oh why did they change, "There _is_ no place I'm going to" to "There _ain't_ no place ..."? Ouch!

0-0-0-0

The following morning, Hermione arrived at St. Mungo's to find Lavender dressed and seated in one of the chairs, just completing her breakfast.

"You're are looking good, Lavender," said Hermione.

"Thanks. And I'm feeling pretty good too. I just had to get out of that bed. I'm not ready for anything strenuous yet, but I know that I have to get up and move about if I'm going to make it back to normal."

"I'm so glad that you're feeling better. But I have to admit that I'm here to apologize for something. Did Ron tell you what I told him the other day?"

"Only that you confessed to the scheme that we ran on him."

"Well then, he's better at keeping secrets than I am." Now Hermione lowered her voice, and said, "I'm sorry, Lavender, but I also told him about your special ability. I know I promised to keep it secret, but the only way I could see to explain to him why we manipulated him that way was to make it clear that we had higher motives than my personal relationship with him."

"It's alright. I'll talk to him about it. And it's not like it's top secret, the way it was before, though I don't want it to be spread around too much. When Ron and I spoke yesterday, about my behavior that year, I just said that the goal was to keep him together with you and Harry. And then we moved on to other subjects. But he did tell me that the two of you had broken up. Is there anything I should know about that?"

"Not really. We suddenly found each other during the battle, but later on we both felt that something was missing. We were hanging around a lot with Harry and Ginny, and they were drawing closer and closer together. And I guess both of us just felt the contrast, like those two seemed so right together, and we didn't."

"And that's all? No major scene?"

"No, none at all."

"And may I ask you something about yesterday, when you left him alone with me? Of course we both knew that you dragged Harry and Ginny away to give the two of us a chance to talk, but did you know that he'd had feelings for me before sixth year?"

"The simple answer to that question is 'yes,' but at this point I'm determined to get out of the manipulation business. So can we just say that I knew that the two of you had some unfinished business to attend to, and that I thought that a little chat would be helpful? And that whatever comes next is up to you and Ron?"

"Yes, that sounds fine; and maybe now we can declare that whole scheme officially over. Professor McGonagall visited me here, and spoke to my parents, while I was still unconscious, and she told them about the invitation to come back to school for another year. So I'm planning to return, and I guess that if Ron and I are both there, we'll just have to see what develops. Though I do wonder what people will think if it all starts to heat up between us again."

Hermione smiled, and fanned her face with one hand, as though she were overheated, as she said, "Somehow, if it does begin to heat up between the two of you, I don't think either of you will care a whit about what anyone else thinks. And by the way, I expect complete reports from all of you! Well, I know that Ron will never write, but if I hear from you and Ginny and Harry, I should be able to piece things together."

"You're not coming back?"

"No, I've actually graduated. When Professor McGonagall visited the Weasleys to talk about next year, she presented me with a diploma. And I'm going to travel for a while, and think about my future."

"And do Ron and Harry realize that you won't be there to correct their assignments?"

"Ha! I hadn't thought of that! And I don't think they have either. At this point they're mostly thinking about the Bad-Ass Quidditch team they're going to organize. But I suppose it will dawn on them at some time that there will be some academic expectations."

Hermione and Lavender were laughing as Lavender's parents entered the room. Hermione greeted them, and after they had settled in, she said to them, "Mr. and Mrs. Brown - I mean, Robert and Lucy - I want to tell you something about your wonderful daughter. And about me as well. For the first five years at school, I didn't realize how fortunate I was to have Lavender as a roommate. And that was my fault entirely, because I allowed myself to be misled by superficialities. But in sixth year she helped me to open my eyes to a lot of things I'd never appreciated before. I'm so happy, and so lucky, and so proud, to have her as a dear friend, and I'm so glad that the three of you are together again."

Mr. Brown said, "Thank you, Hermione; you're very kind," and Mrs. Brown smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I'm leaving, later today, to do some traveling," Hermione continued. "My first stop will be in Australia, to bring my parents home, after I restore their memories. They're non-magical, and I erased their memories of me and the whole Magical world a year ago, and sent them away, to protect them during the war. So if I seem a bit weepy today, it's because I'm going to be seeing my Mum and Dad for the first time in more than a year. But I'll keep in touch with all of you."

A little while later, Hermione hugged and kissed Lavender and her parents, headed down to the street, and apparated back to the Burrow. Once there, she hunted up Harry, Ron, and Ginny, and asked them to take a walk with her.

After they had wandered for a while, she said, "I'm leaving today, and I don't expect to return for another year or so. Professor McGonagall has asked me to teach at Hogwarts, and I'm planning to start in September of next year."

"Where are you going?" asked Ginny.

"First, to bring my parents home, and spend some time with them. We have a lot of catching up to do. And then, well, it may sound strange, but I've decided that I need to explore the world a bit, to experience some new things. Look, Ginny, I don't know if we ever told you everything about the Horcruxes, and how we found them, but I was always fascinated by something that Harry told us about one of them. When he returned from the cave where Salazar Slytherin's locket was hidden - the false locket, as it turned out, left there by Sirius's brother - Harry said that Professor Dumbledore had found the location by sensing an aura, or afterglow, or something like that, of the powerful magic that had been used at that spot. He said that this aura remains, as a kind of signature, wherever great magic has been performed. I think he also used that quality to find the ring, in the old shack where the Gaunt family had lived.

"That was dark magic, in both of those cases, but this aura is a quality of all really powerful magic. I've been reading up on these auras, what little is known of them, and trying to train myself to sense them, to feel them, and learn from them. There are places in the world where great magic has been used, in some cases for thousands of years, and often in forms quite different from those we're familiar with in Britain. Some of these places are known, even to non-magical people, like Stonehenge, and Uluru, and Chaco Canyon, but others are more obscure. I want to work on my ability to sense the magic in these places, to learn from it, and I'm hoping to find other locations like them. These auras seem to be connections to past events, magical links between past and present.

"And I've also been reading about predestination, about how Seers can perceive future events, and make prophecies. I think that the same sorts of links are involved in those as in auras from past events; that these connections run in both directions - magical strings of some sort - uniting the present with the past and the future. But very little is known about them. There are just a few comments here and there, in some rather esoteric books, referring to something called "magical string theory." So if I want to understand more about these strings, I'll have to go out into the world, meet people, and experience the magic myself.

"And this is part of something bigger that's been happening to me for the past couple of years. I've been surprised, blindsided even, by things that I never would have believed are real, and I've learned that a lot of what's really important in the world can't be found in books." Now Hermione smiled, and said, "Don't ever tell anyone I said that," and the others broke into laughter.

"What I'm saying is that I have plenty of book knowledge, and a diploma from Hogwarts, but now I want to learn about some other aspects of how the world works. I'm going to visit places where great magic has been used, places where it's still being used today, but not in the same forms that we learned at school. I'm trying to connect these things.

"And all of you have helped me get to this point, where I can see that there's a bigger world out there than I ever imagined, and so have Parvati and Padma and Lavender, and Luna and Neville, and so many others. I love all of you so much!"

"But you'll come back, right?" asked Ron.

"Oh yes, I'm still me. I'm not going to wander forever, but I am going to take my time on this. And I'll tell you flat out that it's not all about work and study. I have a few other plans as well. I want to visit a few beaches, watch the stars roll around in the sky, feel the wind blowing in the mountains, and I don't know what else. I'm going to get out there for a while, drift around, and see what happens. I just feel like I need to find out what it's like to be my opposite."

"Maybe not your opposite, Hermione, but your complement?" said Harry.

Hermione thought for a moment, and said, "Yes, maybe that; my complement."

Now they turned back toward the Burrow, and as they walked, the group straggled apart a bit. For a while, Hermione walked with Ginny, while Ron and Harry walked together, several steps ahead. Then Ginny joined the two boys, and Harry dropped back and walked beside Hermione. They slowed their pace, and soon Ron and Ginny were far ahead.

As they walked along, Harry said, "Hermione, there's something I want to ask you, but after what you said back there, about exploring, and learning more about magic in the world, I'm afraid it will sound rather mundane."

"What is it, Harry?"

"Well, you and I and Ron, after all the time we've spent together, through the past seven years, dealing with all of those challenges ..."

"Yes?"

"After all of that, we finally made it through. Somehow, we all survived. And now, I mean, you never really know, but Ron and I are in relationships, or in Ron's case, not quite, but things look promising for him and Lavender ..."

"And I'm alone. Is that it?"

"That's part of my question ... but what I'm really wondering is, well, did you ever think that ... "

"That you and I might end up together?"

"Yes. Or you and Ron? Because I thought about it a lot, through the years. Even when we were little, and I didn't understand much about what it meant to be with someone, beyond knowing that grownups get married and have families. It's just something I've always wondered about ... "

"And you're asking me if I thought about those things, about love, and marriage, and my future life, and whether it might be with you or Ron?" Harry nodded, and Hermione replied, "Yes, Harry, I did. Every single day."

"Hermione, your plan for the next year is brilliant. It's an amazing thing you're going to do, and I know you're going to work things out that nobody else has ever understood. And you'll probably write a book or two about it all. But speaking for a moment as your old friend, who met you on the train one day, when neither of us had a clue about what was coming ... I'm just wondering if, well, if you're going to be happy."

Hermione stopped walking, and she turned and looked at Harry. After a long pause, she spoke: "I've been asking that myself. And I've also been asking myself if I'm really doing this for the reasons I told you, to see those places, and learn about the magic, or if I just need to get away for a while, to work some things out in my head."

"And?"

"I think it's a little of both, Harry. And I've also been thinking about how none of us really knows what's next. You know, if we were characters in a book, everything would unfold in a certain way that ultimately made sense. It would be like the author was a Seer, who knew how everything was going to work out, and then it would happen that way. But we're not characters in someone's story, are we? We're living our lives in this crazy, unpredictable world, and we never know what's waiting for us around the next corner. So it seems to me that we just have to keep moving forward, and do what we believe is right, in the time that's given us. I don't know when or where, but somewhere down the road I'll find out what's next for me. And maybe, somewhere in Peru, or India, or Morocco, or in the middle of London, I'll run into someone on a train, just like I met you and Ron that day, and my whole life will change."

Without another word, Harry put his arms around Hermione, and held her tightly to him. They hugged, and they wept quietly for a long while, then separated and turned back toward the Burrow.

An hour later, after emotional good-byes to all, Hermione lifted her pack, walked out to the garden, and disapparated.

0-0-0

That evening, around twilight, Ginny was sitting in the garden with Ron and Harry, watching a gnome struggling to dig up a carrot. They had been reminiscing about their years with Hermione. It was strange to think that she wouldn't be at school with them that Fall, that they wouldn't see her for a year or more, and Ginny said, to nobody in particular, "I just hope she'll be alright."

Harry answered, "I think she will be. She's out exploring now, learning new things about the world, and about herself; and have we ever seen Hermione fail at that?"

0-0-0-0-0

 _Thank you for reading. rj_


End file.
